


Such Fragile Creatures

by Kemurikat



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-31 04:47:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 24,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3964933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kemurikat/pseuds/Kemurikat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Avengers re-imagined!</p><p>Our story begins...</p><p>Loki, after falling through the maelstrom, finds himself on Earth and awakens in a mortal form. Thor, after much chagrin from his fellow Asgardians, decides to pursue his love for Jane Foster. Meanwhile, the fledgling Avengers team takes shape as Tony Stark, the newly revived Capt. America and Black Widow prowl about while Director Fury lurks in the shadows. </p><p>Asgard & Midgard collide in ways unexpected! AU. Multiple (and some unexpected) pairings. OC. Warning: bad language & mature subject matter. Myth & Movie. -WIP-</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:**  
>  Thor the movie, the Avengers and other Marvel characters belong to Marvel Comics and Paramount Pictures. This story was written purely for entertainment purposes and is dedicated to all you rabid Loki fans out there. (w00t) ;D
> 
> ***The events, characters, organizations and any other names depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead or to actual organizations and events is purely coincidental***
> 
> Thor, the Avengers and supporting cast personalities are based from the movies, my own personal touch and some selected references to canon Norse Mythology that I credit to the comprehensive website: triple w dot timeless myths dot com slash norse slash index dot html. (I mean no offense to purists out there for my liberal interpretations. I've definitely let and my bizarre imagination run away on this one. ;D)
> 
> Much of the fascinating 'filler' Norse lore I credit to the websites: triple w dot northernshamanism dot org slash general slash welcome dot html and triple w dot northernpaganism dot org slash. (I mean absolutely no disrespect to any of the spirit-workers and their practices or to any of the Norse gods and goddesses or residents of the Nine Worlds that I've included in this work of fiction.)
> 
> Lastly, this story contains MATURE themes. So, consider yourself warned and don't flame me later. Also, the way I see it, Loki is a being from another universe altogether and his 'moral sensibilities' greatly differ from our own. 'Nuff said. (Story originally published at FFnet 06-07-11)
> 
> Without further ado, I suggest leaving your inhibitions behind, sit back, relax and enjoy the read. ^_^
> 
> *The events in this story take place after the last scene of the first Thor feature length movie and Iron Man 2.*

  
[ ](http://orig10.deviantart.net/17a4/f/2015/138/3/c/such_fragile_creatures_by_kemurikat-d8tvvgq.png)

  


### Prologue

  


The immense disappointment present in the eyes and words of the All-Father were more than he could bear. He knew it was futile to justify the madness of his actions, but a plea had left his mouth before he could stop it.

His entire existence had been a lie. He was nothing but a tool in a failed experiment. An idea born from the whim of Odin the All-Father who thought that he could raise a Frost Giant as his own flesh and blood.

It was time he corrected that mistake.

Ignoring Thor's cries, Loki released his tenuous hold on the golden spear, Gungnir, his inherited weapon during his brief ascension to the Throne of Asgard. In the eternal moment of his free-fall, before the tug of the menacing celestial maelstrom claimed him, he took one final look at the aged Odin who was once his 'father' and to the Asgardian who called him 'brother.'

He would be mourned by those who knew him best...and then forgotten.

_Farewell._

Calmly, Loki turned away to meet his Fate, his body hurling rapidly toward the unknown darkness at the center of the spiraling maelstrom caused by the devastating destruction of the Bifrost. His eyes stared bravely forward until he was violently swept away by swirling tendrils of stardust and plunged into nothingness.

  


### Act 01 - The Mortal Coil

  


It happened so fast, she nearly missed it. Jane Foster stared wide-eyed at the data from an anomalous event that poured across her monitor. The informational parameters closely matched the phenomenon that had brought Thor to her from the Realm of Asgard. Was it him? Was he attempting to return to her? He had promised her that he would and she hadn't doubted the sincerity of his words which were further validated by the sweetest of kisses. She couldn't believe how strongly she loved the strange man and he wasn't even remotely human by definition. Correction, Thor had been mortal when they met and she was certain that he felt the same. He wouldn't have made her such a promise otherwise. She just wished the fabled god of thunder would hurry up before her youth left her.

Her assistant Darcy Lewis had stubbornly remained with her despite an offer she received from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s personnel division for a better paying opportunity. A similar proposal was presented to Professor Erik Selvig but it wasn't the money that motivated him to leave, rather, it was some kind of mysterious object that Colonel Nicholas Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Director, had shown him personally. Jane would've given almost anything to have seen...whatever it was. It was obviously something big enough to immediately capture Erik's full attention, whisking him away from New Mexico.

"Jay-Jay, it's gonna take a while before we can unscramble this shit," Darcy told Foster as she scanned the information on her computer console. "You really think that blip was a lead?"

Many sleepless nights of pouring over data and their more recent shared experience of meeting beings from another universe had bonded the colleagues into good friends.

"I'm positive. My instincts haven't let me down yet, Dare," Jane answered back, hastily scribbling into her little notebook. _This is it! I can feel it._

Darcy shook her head and smiled. Maybe someday Jane would know the real reason she stayed behind to help. She procrastinated with the truth because she had way too much fun dodging Jane's questions. Underneath all her outward displays of indifference and bravado, she was secretly a sappy romantic at heart and a sucker for happy endings. Being a 'fly on the wall' for the inevitable drama that was sure to unfold between Jane and Thor was too irresistible to pass up.

"Are your spidey senses tingling?" Lewis teased with a smile.

Jane looked toward her colleague with large, excited eyes. "Big time."

It was all the confirmation Darcy needed.

  


* * *

  


Loki had never before felt pain and discomfort of this magnitude.

Matter of fact, he had not expected to feel...anything. He had taken his own life and was now being punished by a Higher Power, sentenced to suffer eternal torment in the emptiness of oblivion.

However, his current Fate was much too prosaic and it made him snicker.

That's when he realized that his consciousness wasn't scattered throughout the cosmos...but existed _intact._

Wait.

If his mind was _whole_ and he could _feel_...could it mean that he was... _alive?_

...if he was alive...

On cue, as if saying the word 'alive' was some kind of celestial light-switch…a great force took a firm hold of his entire being and all doubt left him.

...

..

.

Where was he?

The sounds and smells that surrounded him were unfamiliar. His body felt weak, ill and powerless.

_Mortal._

He tried to move.

Bad idea. Much of his body was heavily wounded and the searing pain from his many injuries spread like an inferno, scorching him everywhere in agonizing waves. He couldn't stop the strangled gasp that escaped his lips.

"Hey, hey, hold still. You'll start bleeding again. The thugs that roughed you up did a real number on you."

The gentle voice that spoke to him was female and her manner of speech was strange.

"Just lie still. You have to get some rest." There was a pause and a sharp exhale of breath. "Oh, who the fuck am I kidding! I'm not a doctor. Why the hell didn't I just drop you off at the local hospital? Why'd I have to drag your sorry ass back to my basement apartment, dump you on _my_ bed, thinking I can save you like some fucking hero in a movie!"

The female sounded frustrated and in the throes of hysterics. _This_ was his savior? At least he knew part of the story of how he had arrived. Now, if the female would only calm herself. Her mewling was irritating.

"Pull yourself together, stupid! You can _do_ this, Bryn." She took a few deep breaths till her hiccuping sobs stopped, fanning herself briskly with her hands. "Why do I always end up bringing home the weirdos? Shit." If her annoying landlord Raoul ever found out about her extra tenant, he would definitely have kittens.

"You better not die on me."

Loki felt mortal but he was far from a corpse. Resisting the urge to move his limbs, he focused instead on moving his eyelids, preferably to an open position, yet they felt almost as heavy as Thor's hammer.

Bryn saw the man's eyelids flutter as he tried carefully to open them.

"Hang tight, I'll be right back."

The female's hurried footfalls indicated that she had sprinted out of the room.

It took a pathetically long moment for his blurry vision to adjust itself. Once it did, Loki tried to process what he was looking at and determined that it was the ceiling of a structure decorated by a hanging fixture with globes of various sizes. In the dim light, he couldn't decide if the ceiling's color was grey or white. He cautiously moved his neck and head slightly, allowing his pupils to wander around the female's bedchamber. There was a large picture fastened to the wall next to him on his right, depicting tall windows where he saw buildings of a great height, brightly lit with strange symbols. (Bryn's illusion of a larger space)

The bed he laid upon was moderately comfortable and against a corner wall. There was a worn cabinet of drawers at the foot of the bed. To the left of it was the door to the bedchamber, then another storage area with double-doors that slid apart, which he guessed was her main wardrobe judging by the items he saw hanging inside it. There was a single night-stand table upon which a lit, shaded lamp was placed and positioned next to the bed leveled with his head, and lastly, right beside the bed was a flimsy chair. There wasn't much else. The female's bedchamber was so small that if he were to place it inside his own private bedchamber in Bilskirnir (Thor's hall where he shared space), it would be barely a quarter of his own wardrobe.

He heard noises outside and guessed it was the female fussing about somewhere.

Of the Nine Realms, only one place fit the description of his surroundings. He had somehow fallen into the Realm of Midgard, specifically to Earth, and was now forced to suffer the same fate of banishment as his brother, Thor. No, not banishment. He had meant to deliberately perish within the cosmic maelstrom. Whatever _this_ existence now was...Loki found himself unable to form the words to adequately describe the overwhelming desolation of how he felt.

"Hey, you," the Earthian female said as she slowly approached his bedside. She increased the brightness of the lamp on the night-stand, pulled the flimsy chair closer to the bed and sat down.

His first impression was that the mortal female's features were pleasing, but she appeared tired and a bit unkempt. Most of her hair was piled on the top of her head in a messy heap as strands of various lengths framed her oval-shaped face. She wore baggy clothing with the make and fit of a peasant, the loose folds of fabric hiding the feminine curves of her body. Her eyebrows were neatly trimmed and sculpted, however, and there were traces of cosmetics on her face.

What struck Loki about the mortal female were her eyes. With the reflective light from her lamp, the female's irises were an intriguing shade of the opalescent blue gemstones that adorned one of Frigga's favorite necklaces, one that frequently graced his foster...his mother's throat. It was a necklace made of the whitest ivory decorated with opalescent sky-blue gems which he had presented to Frigga as a gift, a special one he had crafted with his own hands when he was a young boy.

As much as the thought of Odin, his once-father, angered him to the core, he couldn't bring himself to be angry with Frigga. She was a kind and gentle woman, one of the very few Asgardians who took the time to try to get to know him.

"Hi, I'm Bryn. I thought maybe you'd like some water."

The mortal female had returned and now that she mentioned it, he was indeed thirsty.

"Here, lemme help."

He felt his head being carefully elevated and propped up by an extra cushion. She then brought a glass filled with water forward and tapped a narrow, bent, cylindrical thing next to his mouth.

"Go ahead, have a sip. It's Evian," she smiled brightly.

He guessed that 'Evian' was this world's name for water? By 'sip' the female most likely meant doing so using the curious object she was trying to push past his pursed lips.

"Geez, you're acting like you've never seen a straw before," Bryn laughed. "Anyway, I'm not gonna poison you. Here."

The female demonstrated the object's use by drawing liquid through it and swallowing a mouthful. Loki decided that in his present condition it seemed the most practical way to drink, otherwise, he would have water dribbling down his neck.

The female looked relieved when he drank his fill of the water she offered, draining half the glass.

"Y'know, I have no idea if you can even speak English. I mean, I'm always assuming things. I'm silly that way," Bryn said aloud, mostly for herself, shaking her head. The strange, wounded man she brought home had been drifting in and out of consciousness for over a week, saying words out loud in a language she didn't understand. Before that, for nearly three days after she found him, the guy was practically in a coma. "Anyway, um, when you're stronger, we'll have the whole talk thing, okay?" she added, patting her odd guest's shoulder and removing the extra pillow she used to prop his head up, placing the glass of water she held on the night-stand table. "Right. Well, I'm off to bed. Good thing I bought that comfy Ikea couch. I'll, uh, check up on you in the morning. Night."

He watched the female named Bryn leave, closing the chamber's door with a soft click.

'Rest,' she had told him. For the moment, it was a sensible instruction. His mind was foggy, his body was in great pain, his flesh was burning with fever and he felt very tired. He would have to wait for his mortal body to heal itself. After all, it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go. He had whatever time was granted to him in his present form to seek the answers to his questions.

Loki sighed and closed his eyes, his breathing gradually slowing to an even rhythm, his dreams filled with images of a place he once called home.

  


* * *

  


Natasha Romanoff or better known by her moniker 'The Black Widow,' an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., stood to the side patiently with Virginia 'Pepper' Potts (personal executive assistant to CEO of Stark Industries) as Anthony 'Tony' Stark concluded his meeting in the position of mediator for an overseas merger. After the last person had left the board room, both women promptly took their seats on either side of Stark at the head of a long, rectangular table, their datebooks and data-pads placed within easy reach.

"I think that went well," Tony said proudly, leaning back against his executive leather chair and clasping his hands together contentedly. He glanced toward the attractive redhead seated to his left, grateful to Nick Fury for extending her stay with him. "So, Natalie, what's on the super-secret agenda for today?"

The Black Widow's eyes looked over to Stark with some annoyance. At Col. Nicholas Fury's request, she reluctantly agreed to continue her role as liaison and babysitter to the troublesome multibillionaire, resuming her alternate identity as Natalie Rushman, Pepper's assistant, and scratching off a favor for her long time friend and colleague who was also S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Director.

"I know you don't like me very much. It's too bad because I definitely like you," Tony said with a grin.

"Please, Mister Stark, don't start. I'm really not in the mood," Rushman replied.

"You look tense. I should introduce you to my masseuse, Astrid, she has friends who can---"

Stark jerked in his seat when Natalie slammed the data-pad she held on the table. Pepper barely contained a smile.

"Tony, please, don't aggravate her. Without your Iron Man suit, she can totally kick your ass," Pepper stated, watching as Tony pretended to re-adjust his tie. She made herself comfortable, ready to observe their conversation quietly.

"Returning to your earlier question of our 'super-secret agenda,' I'd just like to update you on recent events that took place in New Mexico," Rushman began.

"Something to do with a town being half-demolished and crazy atmospheric disturbances?" Tony said, looking smug. He had been receiving frequent updates from that area through the artificially intelligent supercomputer currently housed in his mansion's basement named 'Jarvis.' The supercomputer's conception had been a joint project with his father, Howard Stark, one of the few pleasant memories he had of the man.

Recent developments had also brought to light his father's 'side projects', proverbial skeletons in the closet that Tony found rather shocking. Two of the most notable enterprises were Howard Stark's direct involvement in the 'Manhattan Project,' (the world's first atomic bomb) and the success of a classified military research program that created a prototype Super Soldier. (the 1940s war-time super-hero, Captain America)

"Your information's only half accurate. What you aren't aware of is that those atmospheric disturbances resulted in a close encounter with beings from another universe," Natalie replied as Pepper gasped.

Now _that_ got Tony Stark's attention. All joviality left him as he straightened in his seat and stared at Natalie with genuine curiosity. "Any details?"

"It's all here," she answered, pushing her data-pad toward him.

Grabbing it, Stark's eyes quickly devoured the screen as his fingers excitedly scrolled through the information he was reading. "Fuck me sideways," he muttered. A few moments passed and his brows shot up his forehead as he said out loud, " _Asgard?_ Are you telling me that all those stories from Norse Mythology are _true?_ "

"Presently, we have no way to confirm that. There are only three people who've had direct contact with the being known as Thor. An astrophysicist named Jane Foster, her assistant Darcy Lewis and their colleague, Professor Erik Selvig."

"I've met Selvig but I haven't heard of Jane Foster."

"Unfortunately, Jane Foster's area of research into celestial phenomena borderlines UFO hunting."

"Uh-huh. So, what's Selvig's involvement in all this?" Tony asked. He had a few run-ins with the man on different occasions when his father was alive.

"Professor Selvig's currently working for S.H.I.E.L.D. on an undisclosed project that's under the direct supervision of Colonel Fury. We'll fill you in on the details once we know more."

"Not even a little _hint_...?" Tony asked, trying lamely to do a cute 'puppy-dog' face.

"I don't like repeating myself," Natalie said with a frown as she sat back and refused to make eye contact. She then started scribbling something down on her day planner.

"Right," Tony mumbled, scratching his head and turning to face Pepper. "Onto you then, my darling."

Nodding with a smile, Pepper began to confirm his appointments for the rest of the week.

  


* * *

  


The passage of time seemed irrelevant as Loki drifted in and out of consciousness. Vague images of the waking world and his dreams blended into a cornucopia of disembodied faces, the actions of past sins, jumbled emotions and lingering regret.

He awoke with a start to the sound of something crashing to the floor, the exasperated word 'Shit' following closely after it. Other words followed, no doubt the female had dropped something she wasn't supposed to.

His body was still in great pain and abnormally warm but he felt strong enough to assess more of his condition. His broken right shoulder was bandaged tightly, the limb immobilized. There were dressings around his head and chest, including patches of various sizes all over his body as he flexed the fingers of his left hand and the toes of his feet. That's when he noticed something that truly bothered him.

Where was his armor? How had the mortal female removed the enchanted raiment from his body? Those were the first two questions that needed answers.

The garments he now wore in place of his armor were lightweight and soft to accommodate his injuries, a similar procedure to what Eir, the Asgardian Healer would do. The mortal female, Bryn, was certainly not remotely comparable to the soothing hands or to the healing skills of the gentle Eir, but so far, he found nothing too clumsy about her attempts to remedy his wounds.

When the mortal female approached the door to the bedchamber, Loki quickly closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. He heard the door creak open as she stepped inside, felt her presence looming over him and her fingers prodding the bandages on his body. Satisfied, she moved in the direction of her closet. The noises and rustling of fabric suggested that she was looking for something to wear. Soon, she left as quietly as she had arrived. In another chamber of the dwelling, the noise of running water was heard. The female must be running a bath. That gave him some time to himself before she decided to visit him again.

His eyes drifted open and Loki sluggishly raised his left arm from under the blanket he was swaddled in. Staring at his hand and arm, his skin had somehow remained that of an Asgardian, a form very similar in appearance to the humans that dwelt on Earth. He would therefore have no trouble blending in with the Realm's population.

Although he should be grateful that he was alive...his present state could only be described as the most _cruel_ of punishments.

Whatever nameless Higher Power spared his life-essence, it extracted from him a monstrous price. It was the final insult and it broke his spirit. No longer immortal, he was doomed to grow old and decrepit as a _mortal human_ , his flesh and bones rotting, forgotten beneath a distant soil. Admittedly, though he hadn't an inkling of his Jotnar heritage, he was even stripped of his very _nature_ as a denizen of Jotunheim!

Loki gritted his teeth as tears of anger and bitterness flowed down his cheeks. He wanted to scream with all his might at the heavens, howling the _indignity_ of an existence to which he was unwillingly bound! Thoughts of ending his wretched new life flitted through his mind but he quickly stamped it out. He wouldn't give whatever nameless force was responsible for his current state the pleasure of that ultimate shame. He would dedicate his short, new life-span to defying the odds against him. He will find his armor, journey to the location where Thor had fallen, find his mortal woman and use her to discover a way to restore what was taken from him so blatantly against his will. It would be a monumental achievement, even for him. For now, he must concentrate on reclaiming his body's strength so that he could at least leave this bedchamber's accursedly lumpy mattress!

Filled with determined vigor, Loki attempted to sit up. The pain that lanced through him made him cry out. Fortunately, the noise of running water was loud enough to prevent the human female from returning to fawn over him.

His left arm shook violently when he used it to lift the upper half of his body to a sitting position. Groaning, his body protested against his efforts, his skin slick with sweat and portions of his disheveled hair fell to cover his face.

In such a lamentable state he was!

Now that his form was human, Loki suspected that he was no longer invisible to Heimdall's powerful eyes and ears, frowning when he imagined the sneer of triumph gracing the Golden Giant's lips. Would the Gatekeeper hasten a report to the All-Father proclaiming that his foster son yet lived, thus informing Odin of his pitiful plight? No. Heimdall would stay silent and simply observe. In his current mortal state, he was no longer of any consequence to the immortal Realm of Asgard.

_Someday, Heimdall, I promise you, I will return to stand before you and cleave that smile from your lips. Thor's mortal woman is here, no doubt feverishly seeking to restore the connection to Asgard. Watch as I use her to acquire what I need and discard her as I see fit. I will determine for myself what ridiculous hold this mortal woman has on Thor, and what power she possesses to have changed my brother so radically from the arrogant beast that he was!_

It must have been the burning anger within him that allowed Loki to stand, despite how weak, unsteady and dizzy he felt. He clung to the edge of the night-stand with his left hand, trying to find his balance to take a step. He sent the half empty glass of water that was placed there tumbling to the rug-covered floor.

"Are you out of your fucking _mind?_ " Bryn yelled out when she entered the room.

He was so preoccupied by his internal ranting that Loki failed to sense the female's approach. Her loud voice startled him and he lost his balance.

"Shit, shit, _shit_ ," Bryn cursed when she nervously caught her wounded charge as he pitched forward, but she wasn't strong enough to support his full weight and they both awkwardly sank to the floor.

The rapid change of movement to his body made Loki gasp and groan, his face grimacing with pain, a tidal wave of disorientation overwhelming him.

"That's what you get for being a complete _idiot_. You're in no condition to stand, so why'd you even bother? _Men!_ Why the hell are you jackasses so deluded with being invincible, huh? Always leaving it up to the women to clean up after the mess you guys leave behind. Go figure." It was Bryn's turn to rant.

 _Silence your tongue, woman, and help me stand_ , Loki scowled.

"Don't you look at me like that. Maybe I'll just leave you here to sleep on the floor then."

 _You wouldn't dare_ , he mentally replied, his eyes narrowing defiantly.

"Try me," Bryn warned, correctly interpreting the expression on her strange 'patient's' face. After a moment, she watched his features visibly soften. "Much better. C'mon, here we go. Upsy-daisy. This is gonna hurt you more than it'll hurt me."

Hurt it _did_. Loki valiantly endured the ordeal of being put back to bed but he couldn't completely suppress his reactions. Never in his existence had he been so pathetically injured and weak to this extent. It was inexcusably humiliating!

Once he was back into bed and settled, he instantly drifted off to a fitful sleep.

Thanking her lucky stars that the towel she had wrapped around her naked body miraculously stayed in place, Bryn flung her long, wet hair over one shoulder and dug into her drawers for a matching pair of undergarments.

  


* * *

  


During the days her strange guest healed, Bryn went through her routine of diligently attending her two jobs, one as an exotic dancer by day and bartender at night. For the adult entertainment nightclub scene, her good looks allowed her the fortune to land a well-paying position at a reputable downtown establishment as one of their featured attractions. Her bosses were two eccentric owners who meticulously modeled their club's interior as an idealized homage to the Moulin Rouge of Montmartre that opened in 1889 Paris, France. It's posh interior with lavish velvet, leather and crystal wove the enticing spell of a bygone area for its high-paying clientele. Numerous quality replicas of paintings made by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, historic French painter and lithographer, proudly decorated the club. Bourgeoisie, as the club was named, was a celebrated nightspot and boasted the best, most creative live adult programs in downtown San Francisco.

"I swear, Mars, you should've run off to Vegas with your talent," Bryn yelled over the noise of the music.

"Me? Leave all _this?_ I wouldn't dream of it, dear. What if Alvi heard you? He'd have a fit! You deserve a spanking for even saying that," Marius Casen replied suggestively with a mild Scottish accent. For tonight, he wore a striking, red-patterned, sleeveless shirt over his fit, firm body, red-shaded sunglasses on his heart-shaped face with red and blond highlights in his spiked, dark-brown hair. His dark eyebrows were neatly sculpted, his feet and nails always immaculately trimmed. He took absolute pride in his appearance and did so to constantly seduce his life-partner and, subsequently, others around him.

"I'm sure you'd rather spank Davin over there," Bryn laughed, glancing over to her fellow bartender, a young, muscular, golden-blond twenty-one year old gyrating enthusiastically to the club's trance-y dance rhythm and clad in nothing but a pair of low-rise, tight leather jeans. Davin was handsome, charismatic, a shameless exhibitionist and as virile as any young man his age. She laughed harder when Mars instantly blushed as the blond winked at them.

"I'll get you for that one," Marius replied as he reached over and unsuccessfully tried pinching Bryn who dodged merrily out of the way.

"I'm working over here, go bother someone else."

"Don't forget who signs your paychecks."

Bryn stuck her tongue out in reply.

Laughing, Marius waved a dismissive hand in her direction and walked off to find his longtime business partner and companion, Alvis Werner. Spotting him dancing to the music with a small crowd of scantily clad young men and women, he smiled widely and decided to join him.

Both Marius and Alvis were fond of Bryn Seaver. She was the hardest working young woman they ever had the pleasure of employing. Not only was she one of their featured attractions by day, at night she was one of their most popular bartenders. Since she was pulling off an unprecedented double shift on some days, they were more flexible with her schedule. They even occasionally insisted that she took certain days or nights off (with pay) fearing she was overexerting herself. Apart from her impulsive nature, her poor taste in men and her volatile temper, Bryn was intelligent, attractive, playful, a delight to work with, alluringly sexy when she sets her mind to it and extremely good for business.

"You work too hard, girl," Davin said to her as he juggled three bottles of liquor into the air and poured them all into one shot. "Slow down. Trust me, you don't wanna burn out. My older brother did and I tell ya, it was ugly."

"I'm saving up, Dav. I wanna get outta the birdcage I'm in," Bryn said, serving up strong rounds of shots, martinis and their version of the city's famous Pisco Punch.

"You just got here. I thought you liked working here," Davin said with a pout.

"I do! I never said I was leaving _this_ place, just need a major upgrade to where I sleep. It's pathetic."

"You're place isn't so bad. It's small but it's clean and in a decent part of town. Remember Mike's place?" Davin shudders at the memory.

"That dump? I'm _so_ glad he finally moved outta there," Bryn answered.

"Yeah, that place almost got him killed. I can't believe he stayed in an apartment that was crawling with mould. Gross! What a nightmare that was," Davin replied as the small-talk between them continued till closing.

Bourgeoisie was a clever design, going from titty bar to dance bar with just a bit of rearrangement: Alvis Werner's spectacular brain-child. His interior design and architectural skills came in handy, and combined with Marius's flair and exquisite taste, the two men were unstoppable. Bryn could only guess their overall profit margins, but despite the pair's large earnings, they weren't overtly lavish spenders...most of the time. The pair routinely donated to local charities and community outreach programs, paid their hardworking employees generously and treated them with respect. In spite of their flamboyant attitudes and attire, Bryn had never seen Mars or Alvi driving a sports car. She often laughed and teased them about their matching Honda CR-Z hybrids. Not that she had anything against the whole 'Save the Planet' from harmful emissions thing, in fact, she totally supported it. However, for her, nothing compared to the experience of driving a fully customized Classic American muscle car.

Bryn referred to her late father's 1969 Mustang Mach One, a car she would one day take the time to fully modify. The car was her constant companion since he had given it to her for her sixteenth birthday. No one would ever guess that a girl like her even knew what a supercharger was, let alone interested on building one from scratch. Her father had a collection of old cars that he had restored himself, and she often hung out with him in his garage, paying close attention to whatever he showed her. She discovered that she liked working with her hands, wasn't squeamish about getting absolutely dirty and being a hobby mechanic felt like a natural fit.

In a private VIP booth, Bryn's two overprotective bosses had taken a breather from dancing, chugging down bottles of designer water that an attractive, shapely blonde named Jessica Layden served them. Speaking of Jessica, the conniving woman was Bryn's direct competitor on the dance stage. Since the first day she was hired, the young woman had been personally campaigning to become the club's most popular star attraction. Her jealously toward Bryn was quite obvious to everyone and the subject was a constant source of amusement, particularly for the club's eccentric owners.

Tonight, rather than the usual biting gossip that sprung up between Alvis and Marius whenever Jessica was near them, their attention was focused on a more pressing problem.

"Is it just me or does Bryn look more tired than usual?" Alvis observed, leaning in close to whisper in his partner's ear.

"I've noticed it too. I think she's due for another vacation," Marius laughed. "She's going to _hate_ us."

"Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Shouldn't it be _her_ asking for time off, instead of us forcing it on her?" Alvis chuckled. He settled back in the booth, briefly running his fingers through his longish, sun-lightened brown hair. He had an oval-shaped face with strong, masculine features and a charming, roguish confidence that made him very approachable and also very intimidating when he was in full-on business mode.

"Normally, it would be but I'm not complaining. She's heaven-sent to us. I can't believe she's the same broken girl we found in the park that night, just over a year and a half ago," Marius reminisced.

"Remarkable, isn't it? Little Girl Lost to Empress of Spades," Alvis said proudly, tugging at the lapels of his long-sleeved, lavender, cotton-linen designer shirt that was neatly tucked into his khaki chinos.

"She's one helluva package deal, that girl. I'd take her for myself if I didn't already have you," Marius said, winking playfully.

"I'm so replaceable, am I?" Alvis replied sarcastically. "You, my darling, can be an underhanded bitch sometimes."

"You make it too easy. That's why I can't resist doing it," Marius ribbed back.

"I'll give you something you can't resist," Alvis said mischievously, firmly yanking Mars toward him by the fabric of his sleeveless shirt and locking lips with him.

From across the club, Davin and Bryn rolled their eyes in reaction.

"There they go again, but I think this time we should get them a room," Bryn laughed, watching her two bosses making a spectacle of themselves.

"Don't mess with their mojo, they bring us good luck," Davin grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Jump into bed with them already, will ya? Save yourself the drama!"

Bryn squealed and giggled loudly when Davin sprayed her with water. She retaliated with her own as the crowd around the bar cheered them on.

Sometime later, when the hordes of tipsy people had cleared out, Bryn slipped out of her sexy work clothes for the day, (black leather corset showing generous cleavage, fishnet stockings and arm elastics, knee-high platform zipper boots, leather thong bikini and stainless steel metal collar) replacing them with mangled blue jeans and a red, worn out, hooded, Harvard-crested sweatshirt. Alvi and Mars had always taken turns choosing her wardrobe and it amused her trying to guess their next outrageous ensemble. She had no use for the provocative stuff outside of work even if her bosses insisted she looked stunning in them, goading her constantly to take some of the items home.

Man, she was _tired_ as Bryn yawned and rubbed her eyes. Lifting her watch, it read 4:30 am. Time to check up on her mystery guest. She hadn't thought too far ahead about what she would do with her foreign patient once he was strong enough to walk around. Oh, well. Like everything else in her life, she dealt with it when she got there.

Closing her locker, she walked out of the club's change room. When she saw both Alvi and Mars seated at the bar, she frowned. She knew what it meant. Her self-appointed parental units were about to do another intervention of sorts. She suspected that they took fiendish delight in watching the angry look on her face.

"No! I can't afford to take time off right now. It's March Break, for fuck's sake," Bryn said indignantly, crossing her arms and glaring at both men.

"Told you she'll hate us," Marius said, sipping his bottle of vapour distilled Smartwater.

"We'll cover your tips for the week as a bonus," Alvis offered.

"Guys, seriously, the two of you are really sweet to me and I totally appreciate what you're both doing, but---"

"This isn't up for discussion, Bryn. We want you to take a break. Can't have our star attraction with bags under her eyes."

"Whatever, Alvi. You can adjust the lighting," Bryn replied, stomping around the bar and grabbing two large Evian bottles, placing them on the counter.

"A little help, my love, would be nice," Alvis prodded.

"Bryn, dear, you're either going to take the rest of the week off or Alvi and I will be forced to buy you a place at that luxury condo next door. The penthouse should do nicely," Marius threatened gleefully.

"It's only Tuesday!" Bryn said in outrage. Their silence meant they wouldn't budge. "Fine, I'll take the rest of the week off but I'm working my shifts on Thursday, deal?"

The two men exchanged glances and nodded.

"Deal. After Thursday's shift this week, neither of us want you back here till Thursday next week," Alvis said with a grin. Mars pursed his lips in barely repressed laughter.

Exasperated, Bryn scowled at both men and roughly scrunched her hair into a messy bun at the back of her head. Reaching into her purse, she wore a pair of thick, black framed sunglasses with photochromic lenses.

"That Clark Kent camouflage you do is so cute," Marius remarked.

"Rather not deal with any perverts following me home," Bryn replied, stuffing the Evian bottles into her purse and fishing out her car keys.

"Bryn, our original offer still stands. We know how hard you work and Mars and I just want to help. It's absolutely no trouble on our part. We're filthy rich bastards, after all," Alvis said with a grin, his British accent habitually thicker whenever he was serious.

Sighing, she walked over to where her bosses sat at the bar and stood between them. "I know you're both just looking after me but getting my own place is something I wanna do for myself. You can't know how grateful I am to have met you two. It's like having my parents back again," Bryn said softly.

Visibly touched, both men fell silent as Bryn reached out to them for a tight group hug. She heard Mars sniffle and giggled, giving the man a kiss on the cheek. When Alvi made puppy noises, she laughed and turned her head, replicating her affection. Waving goodbye, she left the club.

With hardly any cars on the road at such an early hour, Bryn commuted home in record time. It was dark and silent when she entered her basement apartment, carefully tiptoeing to her tiny kitchen and adding two large bottles of Evian to her fridge, finally dumping her bag on the dinette table. Yawning, she went into the bathroom and started her bath.

Slipping into her bedroom, she saw that her guest was fast asleep. Using the dim light from the kitchen, she navigated her way around, took a change of night clothes from her drawers, then surveyed the items she left behind on her night-stand and chair.

At least her guest was eating, a good sign that he was getting stronger. Some of the packets of instant soup were missing, the stack of magazines on the chair were in disarray and he drank all the water she left. The only thing her guest hadn't touched were the assortment of analgesics. Why he refused them, she couldn't understand since he was obviously in a lot of pain. Maybe he was a member of a religion that didn't trust modern medical science?

Shrugging, Bryn restocked the water and food items on her night-stand, left her bedroom and turned off the tap for her hot bath, leaving her bathroom door slightly ajar. She didn't close it in case her guest needed to use the facilities. One of the reasons she chose this particular basement apartment was that a wall separated the toilet from the bathtub. For additional privacy, the last tenant, a good friend of the property's owner, installed an automated curtain she could use with the flip of a switch. That's why her rent was a bit steep. Her landlord decided to keep the improvements, which included a Garburator, kitchen back-splash, granite counters, alarm system, bathtub water jets and trendy studio lighting. She also had exceptional sound insulation that came in very handy when she had friends crash over from the club.

Lately, her landlord hadn't complained much about her accommodating occasional rowdy guests. Was it because she paid her rent by the due date like clockwork? Nah, Raoul wasn't impressed by stuff like that. She suspected that her landlord had an accidental run-in with Mike, the club's bouncer, when she helped him out by letting him crash at her place for a few nights. Mike was built like a grizzly bear and quite protective of her.

Regarding her current living conditions, Bryn knew in the back of her mind that most people in the city would kill to have her unit but it was too expensive for the average renter. Bryn suspected Raoul was moving in personally when her lease was over.

Her major beef with her apartment was the location and size. It took almost an hour commute past downtown traffic and she was making do with a 550 square foot space. For a single girl her age and with her place's amenities, she should've been content but she would rather own a place than rent. Bryn coveted the condo units on the upper floors of the Bourgeoisie club building where her bosses lived. She had fallen in love with the layout of a specific unit, a 2-bedroom 975 square foot loft with walkout balcony and high ceilings, underground parking for her car and the convenience of taking an elevator to the ground floor to get to work. She suspected that Alvi and Mars owned the condo building itself but they vehemently denied her attempts for confirmation.

The hot water and bathtub jets soothed her sore muscles but she would give anything for a personal foot massage right now. She had to warn Mars not to make her wear those boots again. The design made her feet hurt. Maybe she needed insoles with more arch support.

_I'm tired. Enough worrying about stupid crap for now._

Closing her eyes, Bryn relaxed her mind, listening only to the gurgle of rapidly churning water that massaged her aching body.

  


* * *

  


Having feigned sleep yet again, Loki heard the continuous noise of bubbling water in the next room. Was the female boiling herself alive in a cauldron?

Confined to his bed, the former god of mischief had nothing to amuse himself with except his thoughts and the inane picture-books his mortal host had left behind on the flimsy chair. Staring at the ceiling, Loki recalled a memory from earlier that day.

He had attempted to stand again when the female was away, managing to inch his way toward the dwelling's bath. Inside, he sought a mirror and was appalled by what he saw. Just as he had guessed, he looked absolutely _horrendous_. His tousled hair was a greasy mass, the parts of his body not covered in bandages were heavily bruised, he was thin from lack of suitable nourishment and his skin's pallor was paler than he had ever seen.

_I must adapt quickly or I may not survive long on this world. I must learn Earth's customs and languages. The faster I blend in, the faster it will be for me to gather the information I need to navigate my way around this wretched Realm!_

_...and I wish for my arm to heal instantly so that I may use it,_ Loki sighed. _Better yet, I wish for a pair of mighty wings for me to take flight from this miserable place._

Presently, he longed for the relief of a medicinal hot spring bath in Frigga's Hall of Fensalir in Asgard. Since that was impossible, he would have to settle for whatever crude cleansing implements the humans used for bathing. He also hoped that most of his wounds had sufficiently sealed enough for him to do so. Thankfully, his mortal body was mending well, some of his physical strength returning. However, he detested the repulsive swill that passed for food the female had left him to eat on the night-stand table. He would have to learn to prepare his own meals from now on if he intended to eat properly. The water she gave him was at least acceptable.

Next door, the absence of the bubbling noise meant that the female would soon finish her bath and would come to visit him to change his dressings. Now that he was fully awake, he could observe her in action.

  


* * *

  


Bryn entered her bedroom carefully and glanced at the still sleeping man on her bed. _This would be a lot easier if he was awake,_ she sighed as she stood over him.

The man stirred, his breath hitching as his eyes opened and he looked at her.

"Hey, there. Sorry, if I woke you up," Bryn said. "I'm just gonna check on your bandages." The man looked at her curiously. "Don't worry, I had two years in Med school, took Advanced First Aid courses for community service and even rode around in an ambulance. Anyway, I did the best I could but we should still get you to a hospital and have your body x-rayed. Make sure your bones are setting properly."

The man stayed silent.

 _What am I gonna do if this guy can't speak English? How do we talk to each other? I can't keep up this miming shit if I need to tell him something important,_ she puzzled. "Can you sit up for me?"

The man accepted her assistance to sit him up. He still winced but not as much as he did a few days ago. She saw that the bruising on his body had faded noticeably in just two days. The bindings on his broken right arm were still good and the man flinched slightly when she prodded certain sections of his shoulder.

"Sorry. Still too tender there, huh?"

His expression softened.

 _Guess I'm forgiven,_ Bryn thought with relief.

She continued her inspection of the slender man's upper body and saw that some of the gashes he had were knitting together nicely...and quickly. The guy was a bloody, incoherent mess when she first found him, his right arm had been at an unnatural angle and he was constantly drifting in and out of consciousness. There were days when his fever was so high, she had almost driven him to the nearest hospital. So, why _hadn't_ she? It was her number one question. Instead, she stayed by his bedside like Florence Nightingale till his fever subsided. She couldn't even remember how she showed up for work in time on top of it.

As she mulled over the subject, she thought of her guest's amazing healing ability over the course of the month, fully aware of the leaps and bounds the man's body had made during that period. Count on her to discover the medical field's next biological miracle.

"Well, so far so good. Okay, I need you to scoot over to the edge of the bed so I can check your legs."

The man allowed her to guide him till his feet hung over the edge of her bed. She could feel his eyes on her as she carefully folded up both pajama pant-legs to just above his knees and inspected the bandages. A few of the gashes had completely sealed so she tore off the gauze pads that covered them.

"Let me know if anything hurts, okay?" she instructed.

The man nodded slightly.

Either her guest understood some English or was simply guessing, she couldn't tell.

 _Damn, this guy's fit,_ Bryn observed as her fingers worked her way up his legs. Her guest was defined like an Olympic swimmer with a good amount of muscle definition while remaining slim and lean. Also, his skin was _amazingly_ soft and smooth to the touch...almost like a child's. Blushing slightly, she recalled how the guy's body was totally hairless as well. She would have to get the number of his dermatologist, not to mention his electrologist. Stellar hair removal job! No sign of any re-growth or scarring.

 _Here's the awkward part. How do I get to the wounds on his upper thighs?_ Bryn mused. That part was so much easier when he wasn't conscious!

She bit her lip and looked up at him. He was regarding her curiously, his left arm propping up most of his weight as he sat. Even in the dim light, she could see how vividly green his eyes were.

 _Crap._ She stared at the rolled up pajama bottoms. The pajamas were a few sizes too large and loose enough that folding them up further was effortless. The pair belonged to Mike, left behind when he crashed at her apartment for a few nights till his new place was ready. The same Mike she and Davin had talked about last night to pass the time serving drinks.

Bryn opted to chicken out as she unrolled her guest's pajama pants back down to his feet. _Some doctor I'd make. Can't even treat a naked man without blushing. Guess it comes with practice._

Her yawn was long and made her eyes water as she covered her mouth with the back of one hand. _Holy hell, I need some sleep!_

"That'll do for tonight. First thing tomorrow, I'll help get you cleaned up. I'm pretty sure you're craving a shower by now. Sponge baths can only do so much," Bryn said. Not that the man smelled bad---weirdly enough, he smelled like strong mint---but he looked like something a cat dragged in.

After helping the man back to bed, she smiled and turned to leave.

"Good night," Bryn said and closed her bedroom door.

  


* * *

  


Loki listened to the female's puttering outside till she fell silent. For a long time, he laid staring at the moving lights and shadows dancing on the bedchamber's ceiling, listening to the muffled noises of activity outside as the world's human population scurried everywhere, hurried and aimless as ants.

He then reflected over the female's visit.

The human female, Bryn, had some healing skill, judging by the way she inspected his wounds. It amused him that she failed to complete her task. Nudity never bothered him, whether it was from others or his own---he was _not_ a modest maiden---nor was he a conceited exhibitionist like his brother, Thor.

 _Oh, yes, Brother wouldn't hesitate to strut naked around Asgard---if I ever dared him to---wearing just his cape and hammer. Odin would find it amusing along with Frigga, but Mother would shake her head advising that it's behavior unbecoming of his station. Sif would most likely blush and be quick to defend him from the hordes of maidens sure to attack him while he paraded around. Incidentally, Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun, upon learning of my brother's audacity would immediately shed their clothing, walk behind him and mimic his every movement. It would be a spectacle Asgardians will remember for generations,_ Loki narrated to himself, chuckling at his own imagination. His mirth turned morose, however, when the reverie reminded him of home.

Asgard. The only home he had ever known was now lost to him. Although his true nature was that of a Frost Giant, he couldn't imagine ever building a life for himself among his 'own kind' in the Realm of Jotunheim. They were strangers to him. Their customs, their beliefs, their ways, all alien to him as he would be to them. He was Jotun in body but because of his Aesir upbringing and education, he was an ideal Asgardian to the core. He had Odin the All-Father to blame for that.

_Oh, yes. I'm beholden to you, Odin, for condemning me to an existence that is neither Jotun nor Asgardian. You may call me son, but the instant I reveal my true nature to your fellow brethren, they will not take kindly to the magnitude of your deception. To think that, I, a Jotun would be seated on the Throne of Asgard? The sheer Sacrilege of it is astonishing and orchestrated by none other than you, the All-Father himself! Multitudes will cry in outrage and rising protests would surely ignite a civil war! Roots of Yggdrasil, Father, what were you thinking---and they call_ me _the god of mischief? For once, my brother was right! You, Odin All-Father, are a FOOL!_

Loki's internal tirade filled him with rage as he sat up, grinding his teeth and breathing heavily. Ignoring the aches and pains of his pathetic mortal form, he stood unsteadily only to wobble as his knees gave out, collapsing him to the floor.

No longer caring of the consequences, Loki roared out his great bitterness and anguish like a tortured animal in a cry so loud that he hoped it pierced the heavens, deafening the ears of every living Asgardian. Repeatedly he bayed, despair and delirium intermingling near the precipice of insanity, his voice barely recognizable as anything human. He had no awareness of how long his clamor lasted or the hammering of his left fist to the carpeted floor till it was bloody and broken...or of the needle that pierced his neck.

  


* * *

  


Normally, Sarah Brightman's epic aria in the song 'The Phantom of the Opera' immediately gladdened his heart and swept him away in a euphoria of melody...but at six o'clock in the morning, when his body was numb from exhaustion and all he fucking craved was a few hours of peaceful, uninterrupted sleep, the music made Alvis Werner livid with indignation.

He rolled over with a groan, a hand violently searching for his cellphone on his bedside table, his index finger smashing the touch screen's answer button.

"Listen, you fucking son-of-a-bitch, you better have a good explanation---"

Distressed sobbing stopped him short and Alvis shot up to a sitting position like a bullet.

"Bryn?" Alvis called out in surprise.

The sound of her name woke Marius to full alertness as he sat up just as fast from the comfortable spot on his pillow.

"What wrong with Bryn?"

"Ssssh!" Alvis hissed his spouse's mouth shut. "Bryn, tell me what's wrong." His voice was gentle but commanding. "It's all right, now. Calm down." He left his warm bed and went straight for their master bedroom's double-door walk-in closet.

Marius followed suit without a word and got dressed at the same frantic pace as his husband.

"Mars and I are on our way. Hang tight, angel. Stay on the line and don't hang up," Alvis instructed as both men tumbled quickly out of their condominium, down their private elevator to the parking garage and into an Aston Martin DB9.

  


* * *

  


Wrapped tightly in a quilted blanket, Bryn stared bleary-eyed and wary at the crumpled man laying unconscious in a heap on her bedroom floor. She rocked back and forth as uncontrollable trembling plagued her body. She looked every bit as horrible as she felt: her right hand cramping from the death-grip on her cellphone, the memory of what happened only minutes ago, fresh in her mind.

She'd been an unwilling witness to the most terrifying image of suffering personified. Her well-behaved, injured foreigner had suddenly transformed himself into a bellowing, self-destructive berserker.

Her actions, after she had woken up to a cacophony of unearthly wailing, were a frenzied blur. She remembered trying to calm the man---getting hit and scratched in the process---and when that failed, she ran for the most powerful tranquilizer she could find, injecting a massive dose to the man's neck, directly into his carotid artery. A metal psychiatric syringe lay abandoned off to the side on her bedroom floor.

She barely registered the frantic turning of a doorknob as both Alvi and Mars barged in, running promptly to her side.

"Whit in th' bluudy 'ell," Marius's Scottish accent flared in distress. Wide-eyed, he surveyed the scene before him, a hand covering his gaping mouth.

Alvis placed Bryn on his lap, a fragile butterfly in her cocoon of soft cotton and embraced her tightly, rocking her quaking body back and forth as he dissected the scene of devastation that was her bedroom. The discarded metal syringe on the floor told him that whoever it was just beyond the door's threshold had been rendered unconscious, otherwise, he would've prohibited Mars from entering the room.

"Good God," he heard his life-partner say a few paces away as he circled a bleeding, crumpled mass of a man sprawled on Bryn's bedroom floor.

"Love, please, don't touch anything until we know what we're dealing with here," Alvis warned. Whatever he said had triggered something since Bryn began crying again, and he did his best to soothe the distraught young woman. "Love, would you come here, please?" When Mars was at his side, he added, "Take Bryn for a bit? I want to go in there and take a closer look."

Placing his right hand underneath his jacket, Alvis loosely gripped the handle of his custom Browning High Power pistol tucked in his jeans at the base of his spine, just in case Bryn's rabid guest decided to bite. Years of military training from his past leapt to the surface---his personal well-kept secret---as he cautiously bent down to gauge the unconscious man's condition.

 _Still alive...but this man's a mess,_ Werner observed. He noted the ruined bandages on the man's body and saw the skill behind it. _Seems I'm not the only one with hidden talents around here._ He glanced toward Mars and Bryn. She was still shaking but he was taken aback by the worried stare that she sent his way. _Oh, no. Not another stupid boyfriend. Darling, darling, this has got to stop!_

Releasing his grip on his gun, Alvis sighed and carefully hoisted the broken man onto Bryn's bed. In the state he was in, the man needed to be driven to a hospital Emergency Room.

"Alvi, don't. Don't take him to a hospital," Bryn said between hitched breaths, reading his expression.

"He needs medical attention. Advanced First Aid won't cut it anymore," Werner said flatly.

"He'll be fine. He's some kind of biological miracle. A crazy-fast healer."

"Girl, have you gone mad?" Werner said, anger flaring. "You're bringing home strays now?" He stalked toward the couch where his spouse sat with Bryn, his mouth in an irritated frown. The adrenaline he used to maniacally rush to her aid was leaving him, annoyance and exhaustion replacing them. "Is he a drug dealer? What sort of trouble's he in? Good Lord, child, you know better and deserve better! How many times must I tell you this?"

"It's not like that!" Bryn shouted back, her own anger bubbling. She needed some kind of release from the piece of hell she just experienced. "Until twenty minutes ago, I had no idea he'd go berserk! I don't think he even knows who he is! He was badly hurt and I took him in. He was a victim of some kind of mugging or whatever. Poor guy had nothing on him except his birthday suit!"

"The man was stripped _naked?_ " both Alvi and Mars said in unison.

Their reactions were comical despite the tense situation. Bryn swore under her breath and blushed. At least her trembling had stopped.

"Yeah, I know, it was freaky for me too. When I found him, it was like being in a deleted scene from the Godfather," she remarked.

Glancing across the room toward the sedated man on her bed, Alvis ran a hand roughly through his hair, sighed audibly and slid down to sit on the floor, leaning against the base of her couch. "I think you'd better start from the beginning."

"I'll make us some tea," Mars volunteered. He stood up and walked a few steps toward the kitchen which was just behind the couch, filling up an electric tea kettle with filtered tap water and pressing the 'on' switch. He then turned around, leaned against the sink and crossed his arms.

Bryn sat back down on the couch, pulled her legs up to her chin and hugged them.

"Remember that crazy thunderstorm we had almost three weeks ago?" When both men nodded, she continued. "I got caught in the middle of it on my way home. I couldn't see anything in the rain, so I pulled over and parked at that alleyway by the Market Street Grill. All of a sudden, this humongous bolt of lightning came down and hit the roof just a few meters above my head. Scared the living shit out of me!"

"That would be Daryl's place. He nearly had a heart attack too. Made a good sized hole in his roof, he told me," Mars interjected. He always made it a top priority to know the sordid events in his neighborhood.

"Of course, like everyone else, I just _had_ to have a better look at the damage," Bryn said, returning to her story. "I got soaked the minute I left my car. With all that rain coming down...I still don't have a clue how I... _heard_ him. He didn't actually cry out for help or anything...I just _knew_ he was there."

Her voice sounded so mystified it made both men stare at her in wonder.

"A dark alleyway rendezvous. How quaint," Alvis muttered.

"I walked down the alley till I got to these huge garbage bins on both sides of me just behind the Grill. When I passed one of the bins, someone grabbed my leg, so I screamed. I thought it was a junkie or some perverted rapist who was stalking me...instead, I found _him._ He'd passed out but he had a really good hold on my ankle. When I bent down to try to get away from him, that's when I saw how hurt he was. It's like a bunch of guys beat him up, took everything he had and threw him in the dumpster. I felt sorry for him so I took him home," Bryn said, shrugging a little as she curled in tightly, burying her face in her arms.

Mars and Alvi exchanged a series of loaded glances. For a long moment, no one spoke, the living room filled with the intermittent tinkling of china.

"Brynnie, it's one thing to take pity on an injured man with no I.D. but it's incredibly _dangerous_ of you to take him home so quickly," Alvis pointed out. "What you should've done was dial 911...or you could've called me."

"I know that," Bryn said, nipping at her bottom lip. "Until an hour ago, before the guy went completely ape-shit, he was quiet, well-behaved, kept mostly to himself and hasn't spoken a single word to me. I even thought he was a mute till he started talking in his sleep, but whatever he spoke was in some foreign language I've never heard before. He seemed harmless enough."

"So, what happened?" Alvis Werner asked, glancing toward her bedroom. "How'd your 'harmless' man end up like...that?"

"Fucked if I know," she reacted. "I was so tired, I fell asleep soon as my head hit the pillow then I woke up to the noise of him going berserk. He did this really horrible howling and he was hurting himself. I had no choice but to tranquilize him," Bryn explained, shuddering as she recalled the memory. She fiddled with the welts, cuts and bruises on her arms. "Everything was perfectly peachy before that. I gave him a quick check up, he stayed still and was very cooperative, then I put him back to bed and I went to sleep."

"Here you go, dear, drink up," Marius Casen said gently and sat down beside Bryn. She unfolded herself, placing the cup and saucer on her lap.

"I guess the guy may have had some kind of psychotic episode," Bryn thought out loud.

"Which is a damn good reason why we need to take him straight to a hospital," Alvis insisted. "For all we know, he could be completely bonkers."

"No, we can't do that. I just have this really bad feeling he won't last long if we take him to one," Bryn answered with pleading eyes.

 _Insanity!_ "Fine. Well, we can't just leave the man in the state he's in. From the looks of it, the poor sod's mangled his left hand and may have re-broken his shoulder," Werner stated.

"Shit," Bryn said. She took a sip of her hot tea and began nibbling at her lip again.

"Good thing Raoul's been out of town this whole time. Otherwise, he would've called the police on your guest there," Mars said, sipping delicately at his tea. He had the sudden urge for a cigarette.

"Y'know, Brynnie, that syringe over there isn't available to the general public. Lord, darling, Thorazine? Only licensed practitioners can get their hands on that drug. Not exactly cheap on the black market either. Care to explain?" Werner asked, gazing expectantly at the young woman.

"I, uh, had connections...when I was a Med student at Harvard."

"Now _there's_ a juicy tidbit! Good heaven's, dear, Harvard?" Mars exclaimed in surprise. "What the hell are you doing wasting your time at the club then?"

"Hey, I _like_ working at the club. Harvard was a whole other life and I'd rather not talk about that right now, okay?" Bryn told Mars angrily. "I happen to _love_ living in San Francisco. Besides, what're you guys gonna do without me, huh?"

"I could promote Jessica in your place. Her eyes have been doing the 'off-with-your-head' bit on you for quite some time now." Alvis chuckled when Bryn kicked his arm with her left leg. "Honestly, Brynnie, I think we have your best interest at heart when we say you should finish your studies."

"If you guys say one more word about Harvard, I'm burning the club down," Bryn threatened. She stood up in a huff, setting her cup and saucer down with a sharp plink on her granite kitchen counter. "Seriously, guys, _drop it._ Now, if you'll both excuse me, I'm gonna go check on the Hulk's cousin."

Just mentioning Harvard brought back too many memories of the fairy-tale life she once had.

"Wait," Alvis said as he stood and gently touched Bryn's shoulder. "You should crash at our place for a while. We have spare bedrooms and the building we live in has every modern convenience. That way, you can get more rest and the club's only an elevator ride away. There's even an extra spot for you in the garage to park your car. Your...guest would be more comfortable there too. It will give Mars and I peace of mind knowing that you're safe and the _three_ of us can keep a better watch over your...guest. You don't have to do this alone anymore." His expression was open and sincere.

Alvi made perfect sense. Maybe too perfect.

"You guys've been plotting to find any excuse to move me in, haven't you?" Bryn said suspiciously. She heard Mars softly chuckling. _Sneaky bastards. Should have fucking known._ She couldn't help but smile at the offer, however. Knowing that Alvi and Mars went above and beyond anything she ever expected them to do for her, made her feel warm, fuzzy and giddy.

"Fine, since you guys insist but it's only _temporary,_ " Bryn pointed out. Alvis raised his hands in mock surrender, Mars grinning beside him. Shaking her head, she walked toward her bedroom, her mind reflecting on the strange twists her life had taken.

  


### to be continued

  


#####  Author's Note:

My main heroine's full name is Brynhild Saitheia (pronounced sai-thay-yah) Seaver.

Alvis and Marius are my very supportive duo and the story's comic relief, with Alvis supplying a few surprises about himself in later chapters. Davin's basically eye-candy (or wallpaper), unless later chapters prove otherwise.

On a humorous note, when you think about it, both Thor and Loki are technically 'cradle-robbing' anyway, being smitten with mortals whose very existences are only blips to their immortal age. (not that us mortals are totally insignificant ants. *winks*) Also, I've decided to give Loki a break, making him the center of attention for a change. ROFL.

Let the chaos begin! *evil grin*

Please forgive my lame attempts to write a Scottish accent. ^_^;

I'm also trying to (lovingly) vomit this story out of my brain as fast as I can. Why? I've already got 4 incomplete stories on the go and I didn't want to add another hanging TBC, so I'm giving it everything I've got. (story's screaming to get out anyway)

I fell in love with Loki's character after watching the movie Thor. Have I said that yet? Tom Hiddleston's Loki was superb! He created a character with so much angst and depth. (with absolutely **NO** comparison to the Marvel Comics version of Loki)

Movie Loki's sure to tantalize many fan-girls for generations...as handsome, damaged men with grey personalities often do. ;D (Similar men would be Dexter, Severus Snape & Draco Malfoy of Harry Potter, Bill & Eric of Trueblood, Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Salvatore brothers from The Vampire Diaries. LOL)

As you've noticed, I did a quick face collage of my main characters in the above banner, but for readers who wish to imagine your own characters, then simply ignore the banner. :D 

Don't hesitate to leave me a note commenting on my Loki story. I'd love to hear from you guys!

(= ^_^=)


	2. Chapter Two

### Act 02 - Lost and Found

Bryn awoke from a deep sleep with a loud yawn, stretching out her sore limbs. The queen-sized bed she slept in felt infinitely more comfortable than the springy mattress in her basement apartment. Looking around, her 'spare' bedroom resembled the interior of a five star hotel room with every wall suspiciously painted in shades of her favorite colors. Here was clear evidence of why Alvi and Mars had been constantly bugging her about moving in with them since they got their place renovated.

_Oh, those two! They've been planning this from the beginning!_

Her room had a walkout balcony, a 55-inch LCD screen mounted on the wall at the foot of the bed, matching sets of dark-stained solid oak antique furniture, a mini-fridge incorporated into one of the night-stand tables, and from where she sat, saw that large windows brightly lit her en-suite bathroom with a European spa theme complemented by a hand-carved stone bathtub. She knew of Alvi's background in architecture and interior design, but wow, the place was gorgeous! Grinning, she flopped back down into bed, spreading her limbs as she snow angel-ed her sheets.

 _All the space! I can get used to this,_ Bryn thought cheerfully to herself, daydreaming about the possibility of a more permanent arrangement. _This is only temporary, _she reminded herself. She didn't want to take advantage of Alvi's and Mars's kindness. Sitting up, she glanced at a large piece of travel luggage lying on the floor of her room.__

Somehow, she managed to dump all her essentials into one big suitcase last night. She had some serious unpacking to do.

Bryn stood up and parted the tall curtains to her room's balcony, the bright sunshine making her squint. Unlocking the sliding glass door, she walked outside and shut it behind her, padding over barefoot to the eighth floor balcony's stone balustrade. Peering over the edge, her chin settled on her forearms as she watched the busy activity of the city street below her. Market Street of downtown San Francisco was busy 24 hours a day because of tourists and she laughed as a group of Japanese visitors were ravenously snapping pictures, crowding around a provocatively costumed male sauntering down the sidewalk.

 _What time is it anyway?_ Bryn wondered. She removed her watch last night and forgot to put it back on.

Reentering her room, she went straight for her en-suite bathroom and looked at her reflection on the large vanity mirror.

_Ugh. I look awful._

Her eyes were bloodshot, her skin rather pasty. She had dark bruises on both her arms and bandaged cuts Alvi or Mars covered up. Since she was on the subject of bandages, she tied her tangled hair back and went to check up on the stray she took in, a man who was no longer her sole responsibility anymore. Part of her debated whether involving Punch and Judy was a good idea. She laughed to herself. Lately, silly nicknames had been popping into her head.

Leaving her bedroom, she was shocked by what she saw as she walked through the door. In amazement, she gawked at the large common room which was brightly lit by an enormous, circular, ornate cathedral skylight and featured a beautiful, exquisite concert grand piano surrounded by expensive looking leather furniture. _Holy shit._ She hadn't visited Alvi's and Mars's penthouse condo since they took her home with them that night from the park. She stayed with them for a few nights before finding her basement apartment, but at the time, their condo was still under construction and nowhere near as opulent as it was now. Alvi had redesigned the place fit for entertaining foreign dignitaries!

Her eyes wandered in a clockwise direction. To her right, tucked around a corner wall was the double-door entrance to their penthouse unit and another spare bedroom beside hers where her 'stray' lay sedated. Pivoting left, she followed the dark hardwood floor a few paces down to the end of a short hallway where the master bedroom belonging to the Dynamic Duo was situated. There was a modern chef's kitchen with possibly another walkout balcony, a closed door leading to the corridor of the laundry area and finally the living room, which was beside the kitchen, but could be separated by unfolding dark, fanned, floor to ceiling wooden panels on rails that completely enclosed it. When she walked slightly to the left to get a better view of the entire living room, she saw a digital projector mounted to the ceiling, the biggest LCD television she had ever seen mounted to the wall and a thick, glass cabinet that ran along the bottom that served to display a sophisticated home theatre system. A long, sectioned, electronically reclinable black leather couch littered with soft, fluffy pillows and matching bean bags on the floor made the place look like it was specially designed for epic movie marathons.

 _Whoa! I gotta get Alvi to show me how to work that sweet setup,_ Bryn thought, eyeing the entertainment system excitedly.

Returning to her originally scheduled task of checking on her bizarre patient, Bryn walked slowly toward the spare bedroom next to hers, took a deep breath and opened the door.

The room's curtains were drawn shut, letting in very little light, giving the illusion of perpetual dusk. On the bed was her 'stray' still blissfully sedated, his right arm rebound and realigned along with the bones of his left hand. Bryn feared that he may have punctured his lung during the crazy fit he had last night and they would've had no other choice but to admit him to a hospital. Thankfully, all his ribs were in the right place.

Mars was good friends with the pharmacy manager downstairs and managed to acquire two bags of intravenous fluids their 'stray' needed during his sedation so he wouldn't dehydrate. She had pumped enough of a dose in him to make him sleep for days! It's a miracle she hadn't killed him yet. Her playing doctor was getting out of hand. _Why_ was she putting herself through all this, and for _what?_ A complete stranger who might turn out to be nothing more than an escaped mental patient or a serial murderer or---sure, why the hell not?---a fucking _alien._

Sitting down cross-legged near the edge of her stray's king-sized mattress, Bryn gazed at the slack face of the man she impulsively took under her wing. She had a strange feeling that his deceptively peaceful sleep was anything but, and hoped that there would be no more repeat performances of the self-destructive monster she had the misfortune of witnessing.

Scooting closer to her stray, Bryn reached over and removed a strand of hair from his face and felt his forehead with the back of her hand. No fever. Odd. After the damage he had done to himself, he should be burning up again, even a little, but it was the exact opposite: he felt cold...like he was dead! Her fingers instantly sought the pulse point on his neck and when she found it strong and steady, she exhaled in relief.

A memory of her stray's insane outburst last night caught her attention. His skin had been ice cold to the touch when she made a last desperate gamble as she channeled her favorite professional wrestler by grabbing a hold of his neck to jam the needle in.

 _Hmm._ An errant thought popped into her head. Bryn added 'Secret Military Science Experiment' to her stray's list of possible origins. Maybe the guy had 'Property of the United States Government' tattooed with invisible ink to one of his butt cheeks. A simple UV lamp scan was enough to reveal it.

_Man, I've got a crazy imagination,_ Bryn laughed to herself. 

Her peripheral vision caught the numbers on the digital display of the alarm clock on the bedside table which told her that it was three-thirty in the afternoon. Since the three of them had been awake until almost ten in the morning, she was surprised she felt rested and lively.

_I should go unpack._

She gave a final glance to her 'stray' before leaving the room.

  


* * *

  


In a little town in New Mexico, a converted retro-style cafe loaded with various scientific instruments served as workstation and living space for astrophysicist, Jane Foster and her assistant Darcy Lewis. Using generous funding from the shadow organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D, Jane was able to continue her focused research on bridging the way to other dimensions for exploration. Specifically, to the Realm of Asgard.

She and Darcy had recently picked up a blip with atmospheric conditions similar to the circumstances of Thor's arrival and they've been hard at work trying to decrypt the data. It would have been much harder without the help of some of S.H.I.E.L.D's expensive equipment---especially the models built by celebrated genius and Iron Man super hero, Tony Stark. Jane knew in her gut that their latest blip was _the one_ and she wanted to conceal her findings from S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. There was a more _personal_ side to her search for a gateway.

"Yes!" It was a general location at least and to Darcy Lewis, it was progress. "California," she announced, dropping her stack of printouts in front of Jane Foster who quickly looked them over. "Whaddaya think?"

"In the mood for an extended road trip?" Jane asked with a grin, her face lit up like the Vegas strip.

Darcy took it as a good sign. She was getting a bit worried about Jane's obsessive behavior whenever it came to the subject of Asgard and was close to planning an intervention. These days, Jane rarely smiled except to be polite, her appetite was in question since she was loosing weight and there were darkening circles under her eyes. Seeing her smile this cheerfully was a welcome change. "One road trip coming up."

"Once we're in California, we can narrow down the anomaly's location," Jane said, walking away and disappearing into her fugue of calculations.

Sighing, Darcy thought about which part of California they were headed to and what kind of recreational opportunities she could rope Jane into doing. As she thought about it, from the other side of the cafe, a man in a black business suit strode toward them. She stiffened and frowned when she recognized who it was. _Uh-oh._

"Excuse me, Jane Foster?"

"What do _you_ want?" Jane said sourly as she reluctantly turned around, glaring at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with a scowl. _Oh, no, no, no! Not now!_ She was still angry about the forceful seizure of all her scientific equipment when Thor had first arrived.

"I come in peace," Agent Philip Coulson said flatly, accompanied by his infuriating (good) poker face. "I'm only here to deliver this to you personally." He handed Jane a red and gold envelope. "Mister Stark has need of your scientific expertise."

Puzzled, Jane quickly opened it and pulled out a folded card. It was an invitation. Curious, Darcy had wandered to her side as the pair read what it said out loud.

> "The honour of your presence
> 
> is requested
> 
> at the Stark Residence
> 
> Point Dume Bluff
> 
> Malibu, California
> 
> on Saturday, March 19th
> 
> for Cocktails and Hors d'oeuvres
> 
> at seven o'clock in the evening
> 
> Dinner immediately following,
> 
> Anthony Stark."

Both women were speechless for a long moment.

"Wait. That's _tomorrow!_ " Jane exclaimed in shock.

"Everything's been arranged. I'll be escorting you to a private jet tonight at nine o'clock," Agent Coulson replied smoothly.

"That's in less than two hours!" Darcy said in surprise. "You better get going, girl."

"I was also told that you may bring a friend with you, if it makes you more comfortable," Agent Coulson added when he saw Foster's hesitation.

Darcy immediately made a pleading face. She had read about the notorious multibillionaire inventor and wouldn't miss the opportunity to get a glimpse of his home, not to mention meeting a bona-fide celebrity super-hero in person. She would get to meet the amazing _Iron Man_ for fuck's sake! When she whimpered, Jane smiled and conceded.

"Fine, I accept his invitation," Jane answered. "Does Stark normally do this? Expect people to drop whatever they're doing at his request?"

"I don't know the man personally but I suspect that it happens often, yes," Agent Coulson said. "Once you ladies are ready to go, I'll be waiting outside."

The two women followed Agent Coulson with their eyes till he left the building, making sure he wasn't within earshot so they could speak in private.

"The timing couldn't be more perfect, Dare," Jane said, grinning, the wheels in her head spinning madly. I might even get Stark to pay for our little expedition."

"I love you when you're bad," Darcy teased, briskly walking to her desk to grab her laptop and some notes. "Oh, crap. I got nothing to wear!"

"We have time. We'll go shopping, my treat," Jane said with a wink. "It's the least I can do for you being stuck with me."

"Hey, I _wanted_ to stay...but I like the offer just the same," Darcy replied with a grin.

"Okay, let's do this. I need to know what Stark wants that he has to yank me out of here to meet me in person," Jane spoke, gathering her own laptop into a case along with her treasured notebook. _I'll bet a one way ticket to Asgard that it has something to do with my research._

  


* * *

  


His last coherent memory was a sharp sting to the side of his neck. Everything about last night was a jumbled, irrational blur, and it gave him a piercing migraine whenever he attempted to remember.

Moaning, Loki opened his eyes to a darkened bedchamber. His limited awareness only gave him the impression of how much larger the place he now occupied was, and of how much higher he was from the ground. There was a time when he could will his senses to stretch further out, use his magic to gleam clearly and accurately entire galaxies for a specific object or person within them, even sensing the smallest particle adrift in the stellar ether.

There was no point in lamenting over the magnitude of what he had lost and on the sins of his past. Unlike Thor, there would be no Sif or The Warriors Three to come searching for him. Best to move forward a step at a time and concentrate on more productive things, the most important being the steady and speedy recovery of his worthless mortal body. That meant behaving himself, earning the trust of those around him, using them to closely observe their customs and mannerisms. He had to find Thor's human woman, Jane Foster and twist her romantic idealism to his advantage.

Loki smiled slightly. Scheming made him feel more like his old self.

When he decided to flex his fingers, he discovered that he couldn't quite move them on both arms. He slowly lifted up his left hand and stared at the thick bandages that encased it.

 _How did I...?_ That's when he saw a tube attached to his arm. _What's this?_ The tube led to a nearly empty bag of clear fluid dangling on a metal hook that was part of a tall, metal pole. _How...intrusive._ When he moved to pull the tube out of his arm, he frowned. _Curse it. I have no fingers to use._

Groaning in exasperation, Loki grumbled to himself. _Why does that stubborn mortal female insist on healing me? Just leave me to die by the roadside, you silly girl!_

The one thing he detested most of all was helplessness.

 _Enough,_ he reminded himself, when his thoughts turned dark.

_What am I to do now?_

He heard a noise and glanced over to see the female named Bryn enter the bedchamber. At least it was a familiar face. The bedchamber was dark and she hadn't noticed that he was awake...or perhaps---if the tube attached to his arm was to blame---she was not expecting him to be. His eyes followed her as she moved around, leaving various items behind in drawers and on shelves. It amused him that she still hadn't realized he was wide awake.

The minute the items she had in her arms were gone, she turned in his direction and approached the bed. As she closed the distance between them, he looked directly into her eyes, causing the female to squeal in surprise and stumble backwards. He smiled slightly in delight.

"Shit! How in hell are you even awake?" Bryn said out loud. At the very least, the major tranquilizer dose she pumped into him wasn't due to wear off until tomorrow evening. She neared the bed again and saw the expression on the man's face. _Is this guy...smiling?_

In a huff, Bryn stomped toward the curtains and drew them back, flooding the room in bright afternoon sunshine. She smirked when her stray flinched away, grunting in protest. _Hah! Not smiling now._ She stood at the foot of the bed with her arms crossed and watched him squinting till his eyes adjusted. When they did, he looked back at her, his face clearly annoyed.

"I know you can talk." Especially after all that awful howling he did last night. "Let's start with your name," Bryn demanded sternly. _I just hope he understands English._

Staring at the mortal female, Loki thought of what to say. _My name...a simple word that brings with it a wealth of questions I'd rather not answer. What should I call myself then?_

"Please, don't tell me you've got amnesia," Bryn said, gripping the king-sized bed's antique wooden footboard with her hands and leaning her weight against her arms. She bowed her head and shook it, afraid she would start laughing from the ridiculous possibility.

"Adam...Adam Laoki," he said, barely recognizing his own voice from how raspy it sounded. He came across the name 'Adam' as a child when he found a book containing a collection of stories from Midgard in Asgard's Repository of Knowledge.

Bryn's head shot up and her mouth hung open in surprise. At least she now had confirmation of two things: her stray didn't have amnesia and he understood English.

"Wait, just a sec," Bryn said excitedly, sprinting out of the room with a bounce.

Loki's eyebrows crushed together in confusion. _What was that about?_

The female returned shortly with a glass of water that again contained the odd little object she called a 'straw.'

 _Ah, what a thoughtful girl._ He was indeed very thirsty.

He allowed her to assist him since he had no other way of drinking, his head propped upright once more as he drew liquid in with the straw.

"Not too fast," Bryn warned. The man practically drank every drop. _Geez, he's gonna need to pee soon. Maybe I can ask Alvi or Mars to help with that._ A naughty thought flashed into her head and she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. _Knowing those two, this guy's in for a world of trouble._

Clearing his throat, Loki felt much better after a long drink. The female's eyes held a shimmer of amusement that puzzled him. Was she reveling in his helplessness? The thought angered him as he stared back at her.

 _Wow. His eyes are even greener than I thought,_ Bryn observed. In the brilliance of the afternoon sunshine, her stray's eyes glittered like the emeralds on a necklace she once saw in a window-shop display as a child. She almost had the urge to pluck at his eyes with her fingertips.

"Why do you stare?" Loki asked, his brows crunching. The female visibly blushed and looked away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Bryn said, muttering a soft curse and walking out of the room with the empty glass.

_Humans. What ludicrously coy, fragile creatures...doomed to live insignificantly short lives that cause them to repeat their mistakes in an endless cycle of destruction and rebirth._

Since the earliest explorations of Midgard, there were Asgardians that remained fond of the fledgeling civilization of Earth. Why that was, Loki couldn't fathom. As a child, he periodically read accounts from the written journals of those explorers and always found a common pattern of ignorance, fear and violence that greeted Asgardian travelers in their interactions with humans.

_Earth's inhabitants are nothing but slithering insects, procreating to the point of overpopulation, eventually destroying themselves and the world they live in. With every reinvention, humans delude themselves into thinking that their paltry technologies would help them uncover the mysteries of life and the universe. Always pursuing their searches in the wrong directions, inevitably coming to the wrong conclusions._

If humans only knew how misguided they were! Pitiable and lost as they stubbornly banged their heads against insurmountable walls they desperately tried to break.

Pausing his inner tirade, Loki snickered disparagingly, then sighed heavily.

_Alas...I am now an unwilling participant in this human cycle. Each day that passes will be a constant reminder of all that I've lost. Cruel punishment indeed...that with this new life, such as it is...I'm denied even the mercy of forgetfulness._

Loki's rumination was interrupted by the noise of hushed conversation from three individuals outside his wide-open bedroom door. His limited hearing could barely make out their words.

"Guys, behave," Bryn hissed as she walked in behind two males that preceded her. They appeared to be the owners of the new dwelling he was now in, judging by the air of authority that surrounded them; authority that was particularly stronger in the taller male.

"Losh, Bryn, he's cute. No wonder you brought him home," Mars told her, barely making a show of trying to hide his comment. "Ow!" He laughed when Bryn blushed and punched him on the arm. Now that their tall, fair and handsome guest was wide awake in natural light, seated upright and tidied up, the three of them got a better look at him.

"Hello, there. Forgive our appearances but you're awake ahead of schedule," the taller man spoke. Normally, he and Mars were impeccably dressed when out in public or meeting strangers. Having to face their guest in the rumpled pajamas they were in was rather embarrassing. "I'm Alvis Werner, this is my partner Marius Casen and I believe you've met the lovely, Brynhild Seaver.

_Not formally, no. Brynhild, is it? Interesting._

"When you speak of appearances, Alvis Werner, I think mine is the least appealing of us four," Loki answered, effectively easing the man's discomfort. "A pleasure to make your formal acquaintances, gentlemen, lady. My name is Adam Laoki."

Bryn was taken aback by how well-spoken he was. Also, how the hell was the guy so lucid? He shouldn't be able to think, let alone talk! Then again, he wasn't supposed to be awake either. The tag 'Secret Government Science Experiment' shot to the top of her 'Adam Laoki Origins' list.

She glanced at her companions who were equally affected by her stray but for different reasons...and she would rather not speculate on what they were. Judging by the flabbergasted expressions on both men's faces, she could easily guess.

Mars's mouth hung open slightly, whatever words he meant to say had lodged themselves in the back of his throat. Alvis's eyebrows had migrated to the top of his forehead, his lips had the slight curl of a smile.

 _Hold on a fucking minute._ "Hey, Adam, I thought you couldn't speak a word of English!" Bryn said in outrage. Crap. She hadn't meant to say it so loud but she was angry about the deception.

"My apologies, Brynhild, if I gave you that impression. When I awoke, I had no idea where I was. Though I am grateful that you found me, I needed time to gauge your intentions," Loki explained.

"Oh, um, I guess you're right," Bryn said, fidgeting slightly, regretting her outburst.

"Laoki. That's a strange surname," Alvis mentioned. "Where are you from?"

 _Straight to the point. I expected as much from that one._ "Iceland," Loki answered simply.

"You're a long way from home," Alvis stated, fishing for more information.

"I am. Very much so," Loki replied sadly, his expression distant.

"Bryn told us she found you in a dumpster. You were heavily injured, stripped of your clothing and left there to die."

"Alvis, maybe now's not the best time to interrogate him, hmm?" Mars whispered softly to his partner.

"It's the prefect time, Marius," Alvi countered. "We're extending our hospitality to him and I'd like the courtesy of knowing who we're dealing with. I don't want any trouble."

"I assure you, Alvis Werner, I bring you no trouble. You've already been more than generous allowing a stranger such as myself into your home. As I am your guest and under your care, I do have an obligation to tell you more about who I am," Loki replied easily. Time to put his title of Silvertongue to good use. "To be perfectly honest, I have no idea why I am here nor do I know the people responsible for my current condition. My last memory was..." He paused as the final images before his supposed death flitted through his mind. "Forgive me, the details are rather personal. A long story short, in my homeland, I had a very recent, very...violent quarrel with my brother and father. I've been cast out of my family and sent adrift, so to speak." He cleared his throat of the bitterness in his voice. "I am all that you see. Everything I had, I left behind...or at least...tried to."

There were muffled gasps.

"Good Lord," Alvis blurted out. "You tried to kill yourself."

"I did...but not in the manner that I was found," Loki confessed. _Good. They believe me. They will ask no further questions. At least for now._ His best lies were always the ones that were parallel to the truth. _Now, for my closing statement._

"I am grateful to you, Alvis, Marius, for your hospitality, and to you, Brynhild, for finding me when you did. Forgive me, I've regrettably become a burden to you all."

The three humans quickly fumbled over themselves trying to assuage and reassure him.

 _It is done. I've appeased these mortals enough for them to trust me._ His body abruptly felt heavier. _I feel tired._

"Okay, we're done. Adam needs to rest. I think twenty questions took a lot out of him," Bryn said. Agreeing with her, Alvis and Marius turned to leave. "Hold on." She walked closer to the bed and looked sincerely at Adam. "I know you wanna sleep but...do you need to go the bathroom? We've been pumping fluids into you for almost 24 hours now."

 _I suppose there's no harm in that,_ Loki thought tiredly. Having to deal with a human excretory system simply added more insult to his injury. "Why not?" he said rather unenthusiastically.

With a slight sting, he watched as Bryn pulled out the needle imbedded in his arm attached to the thin tube. She then placed a good amount of pressure on the tiny hole left behind on his skin with a small, damp poultice, placing a sticky strip of bandage across it, securing it to his arm.

The three mortals carefully helped him to a standing position and off the bed which made him feel infinitely worse.

"Uh-oh. He's not looking too good. I think he's gonna hurl," Bryn said worriedly.

At her warning, Mars and Alvi hastened Adam to the room's en-suite bathroom and carefully held him over the toilet where he vomited out a gush of black liquid.

In reaction, Bryn, Alvis and Marius all chorused out colorful curse words along with expressions of disgust and surprise.

Loki stared, horrified by what had happened and what he was seeing. Unknown to the three mortals that circled him, black was the color of his blood in Jotun-form that Odin had cleverly disguised as red while he lived in Asgard. Panic took him as his body quaked in distress and he whimpered in anxiety. He felt imprisoned by the arms that held him and he fought to be free of them.

"Adam, Adam relax!" Alvis commanded, tightening his grip on the man. He glanced at his life-partner, Mars, highly commending him for staying to help despite the sickening circumstances. He couldn't restrain Adam by himself and they had to prevent their charge from injuring himself further. Like him, Mars felt a strong compassion for their guest who was officially a stray in every sense of the word after hearing his story. Their desire to protect and care for him was now paramount.

When Loki thankfully stopped struggling, Bryn quickly cleaned Adam up and flushed the gross-looking black stuff down the toilet as they prepared to leave.

"W-wait..." Loki said weakly. He body still trembled and his eyes were bloodshot. "I...I need...to relieve myself." He spoke so softly, they barely heard him.

"Okay, my cue to leave," Bryn said. "I think you guys can take it from here?"

"We'll be fine," Alvis said as she walked out of the bathroom. "Well, Adam. Let's see to you, shall we?"

  


* * *

  


Bryn waited quietly outside, sitting on Adam's king-sized bed as she listened to the muffled noises of activity from behind the bathroom door. Dropping back on the bed with a bounce, she rubbed at her face, hoping that the motion brought her all the answers she needed.

_Okay, whadda we got...Adam Laoki, native of Iceland---who, interestingly enough, sounded totally British---disowned by his family, tried to kill himself but doesn't know how he ended up naked in a trash bin here in America._

The whole situation was worse than she thought. Her humane act of extending a helping hand to someone in need was rapidly snow-blowing into an extremely weird and possibly volatile mess. Without knowing the details of why Adam was renounced by his own family, whatever he did, it must've been severe.

He did say he had a 'violent' argument with his brother and father. Could he have...? She nibbled her lower lip at the thought. Also, the man she rescued had wanted to die...hadn't he? The three of them were now on suicide watch. Shit. Then there was the incident in the bathroom where Adam puked out a puddle of black guck. Whatever the stuff was, Adam was just as shocked about it as they were.

_No solids. At least he didn't barf out any of his major organs._

When the en-suite's bathroom door opened, Bryn slid out of Adam's guest bed.

"Here we go, almost there," Alvis coaxed as he and Mars assisted the wincing man toward the bed. They were unaware that Bryn noticed their strangely flushed faces.

"Wait, please," Adam said softly when they stopped near the bed. "May I go outside?" He looked longingly in the direction of the balcony.

"In the condition your in..." Bryn began, glancing at both Alvi and Mars for their opinion.

"Please?" Adam pleaded, almost desperately.

 _Geez, who can resist a face like that,_ Bryn thought. "You guys help him to one of the loungers then. I'll get a blanket and some pillows."

They helped their guest get settled on one of the cushioned loungers on the balcony of his room. He also politely refused the blanket Bryn offered him.

"I wish for the sun to warm my skin," Adam said, smiling gratefully and closing his eyes. Bryn held a large glass of Evian in her hands with a straw ready.

"Here, you should drink some water. You need it, especially after you throw up," Bryn offered. Adam obeyed quietly and drank most of the water.

Clearing his throat, Alvi signaled Mars to go back inside with him.

Ignoring them for the moment, Bryn sat down on the lounger beside Adam. His eyes had drifted shut as he sat completely content under the glow of the afternoon sun.

"I'll be right back. You gonna be okay out here for a while?" Bryn asked. She was curious about where Alvi and Mars were off to in such a hurry.

"Nothing would please me more," Adam replied with a sigh, his eyes remaining shut.

Patting him on the arm, Bryn left the balcony and jogged out of Adam's bedroom to the condo unit's common room where she saw Mars and Alvi having a hushed conversation in the kitchen. They both held old fashioned crystal whiskey glasses half-filled with liquor as they shared an oversized bottle of Crown Royal Special Reserve.

"I guess we've got our work cut out for us," Alvi said, inclining his head toward one of their guest rooms to indicate he was referring to Adam. He stopped short when he saw Bryn approaching.

She came to a halt by the granite countertop, looking sheepish.

"Listen, guys, I'm really sorry you're both involved in this mess I made," Bryn said apologetically.

"Oh, hush, dear. We're glad to help. Alvi's right. You can't take care of him alone," Mars replied. He downed the rest of his glass's contents, the oncoming buzz making him feel better. He watched as Alvi poured himself another glass of Crown Royal.

Alvis glanced at his spouse and Mars smiled. They repeated this three or four times before the two men erupted into a fit of uncontrollable chortling.

Suppressing a grin, she walked closer toward them. She had seen this before. Whenever the two of them were stressed out, it was something they did to relieve the tension. They got drunk and had a laugh marathon. The main difference with this one was that they kept looking in the direction of Adam's guest bedroom.

"Okay, what're you guys up to?" Bryn asked, playing along, her arms poised on her hips. "If it's what I think it is, shame on you two. We don't even know if he's gay!"

The two men laughed even harder after her comment. It took a while before either of them calmed down enough to speak.

"Oh, please, we're not that depraved. Anyway, look at you, little miss high-and-mighty. Stop pretending you don't know what Vivi and I are fussing about," Mars scolded. "You've seen him too, haven't you? I still can't believe he's real. He's like the Handsome Prince from a fairly tale and...Lord Have Mercy, those eyes, they're so _green,_ like jewels. Good Heavens, girl, are you _blind?_ You brought home Adonis in the flesh!"

"Or possibly Eros himself," Alvi remarked in a daze as he kept looking at his right hand.

"What's wrong with him?" Bryn asked.

"Oh, he's just being melodramatic. I'm just fucking envious he got to touch him," Mars replied. "It was a spiritual experience, wasn't it, love?"

"You guys are so bad," Bryn reprimanded, shaking her head but giggled nonetheless. "Anyway, since we're talking about Adam...don't you guys think it's weird that a man his age has skin that _soft_...and then he's got the totally hairless thing going that's basically _flawless._ Now that you mention it Mars, the way he's built, he might as well be a living statue."

Bryn rolled her eyes when the two men blushed deeply and swooned, then started laughing again. _I think I better give them time to get things sorted and out of their system._ "You guys have fun while I go check on Adam."

  


* * *

  


It was nearing the end of the winter season as she wandered Freya's Hall in the Realm of Vanaheim. Soon, when the first signs of spring covered the snow-blanketed land in lush, velvety green, she, together with Freya, would journey to Asgard.

For Freya, returning to Asgard was compulsory. Freya, along with her twin brother Frey and their father, Njord, were willing 'hostages' as part of a peace treaty between Asgard and Vanaheim. Long ago, when inhabitants of both Realms crossed paths, a terrible war broke out between them resulting in many lives lost for both sides. Though the Vanir were seen as a mainly peaceful, agricultural race, they were sorely underestimated when they proudly stood their ground against the openly warlike Aesir, matching their ferocity and skill. With no decisive outcome to the battle on the horizon, both sides agreed to a treaty which included the exchange of 'hostages'. Certain representatives were chosen by both sides to live in a permanent period of exile away from their homelands. However, the 'hostages' from both sides were allowed staggered visits to their respective Realms, provided that they only went one at a time.

For Sigyn, her stay at Freya's Hall in Vanaheim was merely an interval from her much longer stay in the Realm of Ljossalfheim. (or Alfheim, home of the Alfar, more widely known in Midgard as the 'Light Elves') She dwelt with the Alfar, honored to have been invited to learn more of their magic to enhance her knowledge. Time flowed very differently in that realm, days were variable and occurred randomly with no discernible linear flow. The first thing she learned was to form a protective sphere around herself so that she was fully aware of the flow of time directly related to her existence. Otherwise, she would end up staying too long in Ljossalfheim and return to Asgard at the height of Ragnarok.

The Alfar were kind and courteous to her during her stay and she learned a great deal from them, taking turns living among the Noble Houses and even with some of the more 'common' but well-respected wights. She was fortunate, being blessed and favored by the Alfar; treated with the utmost respect and care, and they were always on their best behavior toward her. The Alfar, by nature, were as transitional and moody as the environment they inhabited. With their magic and glamour, they constantly modified their surroundings as they saw fit, an act that was a physical extension of themselves, as simple and natural as taking a breath. She in turn had become quite fond of them and their carefree attitude, vowing to return for constant visits in the future.

However, enhancing her skill in the art of magic wasn't her sole purpose for visiting Ljossalfheim. When she first began her training, she purposefully sought out the same instructors Loki Odinson had learned from, hoping to beat his 'record' for mastery of a certain glamour. When Loki was very young, the mysterious dark-haired son of Odin was sent here when he showed an aptitude for magic. Apparently, Loki had surpassed all expectations, impressing all his Alfar tutors with how quickly he mastered a particular skill. He had learned everything so rapidly that they happily sent him back to Asgard before the mischievous little boy's appetite for knowledge included discovering how to warp the Realm of Ljossalfheim itself.

In one of her many conversations with Loki, he had told her that he hadn't visited the Alfar since he was a boy. She wondered if the Alfar forbade him from ever setting foot in their Realm again, for fear of him potentially wreaking havoc on the magical fabric of their environment.

When she first met Loki in the Hall of Gladsheim during a feast when she was a little girl, he was an adolescent, gentle and patient with her compared to all the other Aesir children. She was an enormously shy girl and hid frequently behind her foster-father Njord, and her foster-siblings, Frey and Freya during her visit. Loki had coaxed her out with sparkling displays of magic and transformation that both delighted and fascinated her. He made shimmering trails of light dance around her, then turned himself into a bird and flew in whimsical acrobatic patterns around the glittering ribbons. They played together for the rest of the night and when it was time for her to leave, he presented her with a gift of the most beautiful, sweetly scented, bright purple blossom she had ever seen.

She placed her hand against her heart and felt the little silken bag she wore around her neck, hidden under her bodice. It was where the purple blossom, still as fresh and beautiful as the day Loki had first presented it to her, was safely kept. Perhaps, someday, when their rekindled fondness for one another grew stronger into something more than friendship, she would reveal to him her most precious treasure.

_I hope you're keeping well, friend of my heart. Please forgive me for my long absence. I shall see you soon._

  


* * *

  


Loki awoke with a gasp, his eyes temporarily blinded by the brightness all around him. He cried out when his ribs stung him sharply as he tried to take a deep breath, feeling like someone had held him underwater till he ran out of air.

 _Where in Heimdall's Hall am I now?_ Loki thought to himself, disoriented.

Gritting his teeth, he concentrated on calming his breathing to stop his ribs from aching. Squinting, he glanced around and he remembered where was. He had requested the mortals to leave him outside on the balcony of his guest bedroom.

 _How long have I been out here?_ The sun was lower on the horizon. _Not too long, it seems._ Rubbing his eyes, he had no recollection of falling asleep. _I was dreaming but...I can't remember what it was about._ It was strange and a bit worrisome. He had always been able to recall his dreams with perfect clarity. _A disadvantage of this mortal body I now inhabit, perhaps?_ What other unfavorable traits must he add?

He shuddered when the memory of expelling a pool of black liquid from his mouth came into his mind. _Odin's Eye! What malady plagues this body?_

The glass door behind him slid open.

"Oh, good. You're awake," Bryn said with a smile. The guys and I just finished dinner. Thought maybe, if you're up for it, you'd like to eat something?"

Ugly memory in his mind aside, Loki felt hungry but hesitant of the kind of 'food' his new hosts had made.

"May I ask what's been prepared?"

"You're in for a treat. Alvi's a great cook when he's got the time to do it. He whipped up a batch of his special chicken stew. It's one of my favorites," Bryn beamed.

Chicken, an Earthian fowl and a popular food source that was first presented to the Vikings. "That's sounds acceptable," he replied.

"Hope you don't have any food allergies."

The female looked a bit worried. _What are 'allergies?'_ Loki wondered. Whatever they were, it sounded unpleasant.

"I would think not."

"One bowl coming up then," Bryn said and stood up. "You wanna eat out here?"

"I would like that very much," Loki said with a small smile. When the female left, he leaned back against the lounger and frowned. _Since I can't use my hands, I must be spoon-fed like an infant. How demeaning._

When the female returned, she brought company. Loki groaned. The last thing he needed were other witnesses.

"Hope you don't mind us joining you. We brought the lot in case you needed more," Alvis said, gesturing to a movable three-tiered table that Marius had pushed off to the side.

There were two large, deep, rectangular metal trays with high lids on the top tier. On the second was a large white bowl full of edible flora in various shapes, sizes and colors, along with two slim pitchers containing a pale, yellowish liquid. Eating utensils, glasses, napkins, spare dishes and other small items were at the bottom.

He watched Bryn prepare two bowls of stew while Alvis and Marius loaded their plates with a heaping portion of the colorful flora and roundish chunks of roasted meat. Alvis then pulled the lounger that was beside him and positioned it on an angle, dropping one end so that it lay flat like a cushioned bench. He unfolded two miniature tables and set them alongside the bench, placing his plate on the one in front of him. Marius sat beside him and the two shared a tender kiss before they began their meal. From his peripheral vision he caught Bryn carefully observing him, sensing from her a slight amount of tension.

_Why?_

Pulling a chair closer to his lounger, Bryn sat down, placing one of the bowls she carried on a small table between them. The second bowl was nestled in her lap on a folded piece of fabric to protect her bare legs from the heat of its contents.

"I've never spoon fed anyone before, Adam, so this'll be awkward for the two of us," Bryn said as she blew on a spoonful of stew then brought it toward him. "Um...say 'ah?'"

Loki hesitated, inhaling the aroma of the stew and found it pleasing. Accepting his first taste, he discovered that the stew was to his liking. He noted that Alvis and Marius had paused their meal to watch him.

"The stew is good," Loki said with a slight nod, seeing Alvis smile with relief as Marius placed a hand on his thigh, giving it an affectionate squeeze. He sensed another slight flare of unease from Bryn. _Hmm._

Well into eating their meal, Loki noticed that whenever Alvis or Marius demonstrated physical affection toward one another, Bryn would stare at him. Was she not comfortable with what they were doing? She clearly had an easy friendship with the two males. _However, since I am their guest, is it my reaction she worries for?_ Again this puzzled him. _Why would their displays of affection bother me?_ He decided to put the subject to the test.

When it was Bryn's turn to eat her stew, Loki said, "It has come to my attention, Alvis, Marius, that the two of you are a mated pair?"

The three humans immediately began choking on whatever they ate or drank.

"I've never heard it put _that_ way before," Marius managed to say after clearing his throat. "It makes us sound like a pair of prized pandas from the World Wildlife Fund," he chuckled out, Alvis and Bryn joining him.

"I meant no offense," Loki replied. Their reactions confused him.

"Oh, no, no. None taken, Adam," Alvis replied quickly. "It's just that, well, you're not from around here, so we were just surprised by the way you described our relationship. I take it that what Marius and I do isn't making you uncomfortable?"

"No, why should it?" Loki asked, his brows creasing.

The three humans exchanged glances.

"I guess I just assumed that it did," Bryn piped in, shrugging.

"Why would displays of affection bother me?" Loki asked, genuinely curious, turning toward Bryn beside him. "Alvis and Marius are obviously in love and it's only natural that they show this."

"I know that but not everybody's as open-minded as you and I are," Bryn said, slightly irritated by Adam's condescending tone.

"Displays of affection are frowned upon?" Loki said, still confused.

Rolling her eyes, Bryn said, "It's not affection that's in question, Adam. You do know that both Alvis and Marius are men, right?" She crossed her arms in a huff.

"Yes, I can see that quite clearly," Loki said flatly with rising ire. He paused, then said, "Ah, it's _because_ they're both men that you thought I'd be bothered, correct?"

"Uno! Give the guy a cookie," Bryn remarked with a smirk, inclining her head.

"We don't call her our little spitfire for nothing," Alvis said, trying to ease the tension between them as Marius grinned.

"I still don't understand why you assumed that displays of affection, especially ones made by couples of the same sex, would bother or offend me," Loki remarked, looking pointedly at Bryn.

"Well, I had no idea that people living in Iceland were so liberal," Bryn said, shrugging.

"Actually, Bryn, the Scandinavian countries are reputed to be the most progressively gay-friendly environments, and are also the leading benchmarks for the legalization of both marriage and adoption for same-sex couples," Alvis explained. "Tolerance and acceptance may not be at a hundred percent yet but it's constantly improving."

"Alvi and I might go there someday when we retire," Marius said, nudging his partner playfully. "So, dearie, we're in it for the long haul." He gave his husband an affectionate gaze. "I can't imagine anyone else I'd want to spend the rest of my life with."

"Then I wish you both great happiness till your waning years and when you both pass into the afterlife, may your souls remain together for all time." Loki recited his best translation of a blessing he once heard from Frey the Vanir when he attended a Joining Ceremony out of curiosity during his visit to Vanaheim. Since Frey favored nontraditional unions because of his marriage to the Jotun giantess, Gerda, he thought it was appropriate.

His words had the desired effect when Alvis and Marius were visibly touched. Bryn looked stunned.

"That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard," Marius breathed, the fork he held falling to his plate with a clatter.

"Thank you, Adam," Alvis replied, a bit more composed but just as moved.

"It's the least I can do in gratitude to you both for your gracious hospitality," Loki said sincerely, nodding briefly.

"You flatter us too much with your formality, Adam," Alvis remarked with a warm smile. "I must say, you speak exceptionally good British English for a native of Iceland. No trace of an accent at all."

"It was my father's wish that I learn to speak diplomatically and the many tutors responsible for my education lived abroad," Loki answered quickly. _I must tread this carefully or risk getting caught._ What he knew of Earth's customs were outdated and his knowledge of its various kingdoms, limited. He'd only visited this world twice. The first was out of curiosity and mischief when he was a boy with his brother, Thor; the second was...

A pang of sadness swept over him.

"Adam, hey, you all right?" Bryn asked worriedly.

"I...I feel dizzy," Loki said, which was partly true, as he seized the opportunity to abruptly end the current topic of discussion.

The three mortals instantly assisted him back into his bedchamber and into bed. Watching them quietly from where he lay, his two male hosts efficiently scooped up their dinner items from the balcony onto the moving table and out the door. Bryn had taken one of the pitchers of the pale, yellowish liquid, pouring some of it into a tall glass and storing the rest in the night-stand beside his bed, where he felt a curious draft of crisp, cold air.

"Here, have a sip," Bryn instructed. When he did so, he paused after his first mouthful. The drink had a pleasant flavor of both tart and sweet.

"What's this brew called?" Loki asked.

 _'Brew?' When are we, the Medieval period?_ "It's lemonade. You've never had lemonade before?" Bryn said in disbelief. He shook his head. "Seriously?" Were you raised in a cave?

Shrugging, he said, "I simply haven't come across it before." Loki then pretended to yawn.

"Okay. You've had a long day. I'll see you tomorrow," Bryn said with a smile as she stood up and closed the heavy drapes that covered the glass doors to the balcony. "Good night."

Alone, Loki shut his eyes tightly, rebelling against the images that surfaced in his mind. He wasn't ready to face the precious memory that was conjured up in casual conversation. It reminded him of the home he had lost, of his childhood filled with days that were simple and carefree...of a time when he was the happiest he had ever been in his life.

When it came to a point where his restlessness nearly overwhelmed him and he feared that the deafening silence in his bedchamber, alone with his thoughts, would drive him mad, Loki heard music. It was a welcome and enchanting distraction.

The melody came from just beyond his door, played on an instrument he was familiar with.

_A piano. I wonder who plays it?_

Soothed by the sad but hopeful song, Loki eventually drifted off to sleep.

  


* * *

  


Darcy Lewis could hardly contain her excitement as she and her boss-lady Jane Foster were seated inside the plush interior of a private Hondajet on a direct flight path toward Malibu, California to see none other than multibillionaire inventor, Tony Stark.

"We're gonna meet _Iron Man,_ Jane! This is so supremely _awesome,_ " Darcy said with infectious glee, bouncing up and down on her leather seat restlessly like a five-year-old child. Jane couldn't help but smile. When she started up a silly dance, Jane laughed.

"Would you ladies like another cocktail?" an attractive male steward asked them pleasantly. He had wavy, light-brown hair, piercing blue eyes and a killer smile.

"Me, please," Darcy said, her hand up in the air like a student in a classroom. _I'd rather have your cock and tail, though. Rawrrr._

"I think you've had enough drinks for now," Jane cautioned her. Darcy just waved her off when the man returned, handing her another pineapple mojito.

"Great ass," Darcy mouthed to her companion silently, pointing at the male steward's firm buttocks clearly outlined by the snug pants of his uniform as he turned to leave. The two sat across from each other on their own reclinable leather seats in the first class setup of the private jet's main passenger cabin.

"I know," Jane mouthed back, flushing slightly. She was suddenly reminded of the dirty rumors she read on internet gossip forums about Stark's 'generosity' towards his guests. Some of them supposedly included 'special favors' given out by the men and women he employed upon request. Of course, there wasn't any concrete evidence to be found to support that claim. Another theory was that if any people were involved in such 'indecent' activity, they either denied or refused to volunteer information. It was suspected that large sums of money insured their silence and loyalty.

"You need to get laid," Darcy whispered, wagging her eyebrows and looking in the direction of the service cabin. "How long has it been for you, anyway?"

"Shut up," Jane barked back, her blush deepening, hoping the steward wasn't listening to their lewd conversation. Apparently, Darcy was aware of the rumors as well. "It hasn't been that long." She fidgeted uncomfortably. "Anyway, I'm too busy with my research to find time to fool around."

"Reeeally," Darcy replied, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Does your 'straight-laced Jane' attitude got something to do with an oh-so-hot kiss with a certain thunder god we both met? Has tall, blond and uber-hunky completely ruined you from sharing a bed with other men?" She said her last sentence with a theatrical flourish.

"You're drunk," Jane retorted back lamely, not wanting to dignify Darcy's statement with an answer but her silence spoke volumes. Try as she might to deny it, she had fallen in love with Thor; the strange, handsome, (incredibly muscled) kind and courageous man...who not-so-conveniently resided in another fucking universe! _Way to go, Jane. Fabulous grand-slam. You just had to make finding your soul-mate an extra-special challenge._

They felt the plane change altitude just as all the 'Fasten Your Seat Belt' icons lit up brightly in the passenger cabin as their handsome steward returned to check on them.

"We're approaching Los Angeles International Airport where Mister Stark's helicopter will be waiting to shuttle you both to his Malibu home. Welcome ladies and enjoy your stay."

Glancing at her cellphone's clock for the time zone adjustment, Jane reclined deeply in her soft leather seat, rehearsing the greeting she prepared in her head as the plane descended toward the runway at L.A.X.

When the plane landed smoothly away from general traffic, Jane and a tipsy Darcy were lead across the airport tarmac to a landing pad close to a large aircraft hanger reserved exclusively for Tony Stark. The large metallic letters 'Stark Industries', which were hard to miss, were displayed in high relief above the hanger's enormous doors.

Soon, a red and gold AgustaWestland helicopter was on the approach. Jane and Darcy held their hair in place as the wind from the chopper's rotors blew gales of air around them. When the helicopter's copilot door opened from the other side, out slid someone neither of them were expecting to see so soon.

"Hi, you're Jane Foster, I presume?" Tony Stark said as he shook her hand, his face plastered with a bright, charming smile. _Damn, she's a pretty one._

Whatever greeting Jane had rehearsed in her head evaporated. Stark wasn't at all what she expected. Instead of a pompous, showboating shark in a three-piece business suit, the man was relaxed and approachable in dark blue, straight leg Hudson jeans, a greystone-colored James Perse long-sleeved Henley and custom Birkenstock sandals.

"I see you've brought a friend," Tony spoke before Jane could say a word, holding out a hand to greet Darcy beside her.

"Your...you look so _casual,_ " Darcy replied, swaying forward.

"Whoa, there." Stark caught the young woman in time to steady her, Jane rushing alongside them.

"Oooh...you work out," Darcy remarked with a silly smile when her hands felt the firmness of the muscles on Stark's arms.

"I'm really sorry about this, Mister Stark," Jane began, glaring at her flushed, grinning friend.

"Call me Tony."

"Sure. Anyway," Jane replied, a bit hesitant. "This is my friend and research assistant Darcy Lewis. She kind of overdid the complimentary drinks on the trip over."

"Happens all the time," Stark answered smoothly with a wink.

After buckling in Jane and a giggling Darcy, Stark returned to the copilot seat of the helicopter, signaling the A-OK to his personal ground crew for takeoff.

The mechanical sound of spinning rotors grew louder and Jane felt the lurch of the chopper's liftoff as she looked out her small window at the distancing surface of the airport tarmac.

She remained silent for the entire trip, glancing occasionally at Darcy who had fallen asleep, a small smile twitching her lips. _Time to adjust the game plan,_ she sighed to herself. She had imagined a more formal meeting: Stark in a suit and straight to business. Instead, she got Stark looking like he would rather go to a movie followed by a stroll along the beach.

Obviously, her first priority was to determine exactly what Tony Stark wanted from her so urgently. Was he interested in her current research and planned to offer her private funding? Was he connected to whatever Professor Selvig was doing so secretively at S.H.I.E.L.D? For the moment, all she had was speculation and she began biting her nails out of nervous habit.

The view of the ocean below through her little window caught Jane's attention. Pensively, her eyes drifted up to the clear, darkening sky, absently wondering what the weather in Asgard was like.

Soon, as the helicopter approached the shoreline, Jane caught a glimpse of a white, organically shaped structure built cleverly along the edge of a high bluff.

 _Is that...is that where he lives?_ Jane exclaimed to herself in awe.

"Darcy, wake up. You gotta see this!"

"Whua? Ow, my head," Darcy said sluggishly. Jane kept on shaking her. "What?"

"Hurry, look out the window!" Jane said excitedly. When Darcy did, she was stunned.

"Is that his _house?_ "

"It's getting a bit dark right now, but I can give you ladies a better tour tomorrow," Stark buzzed through their headsets.

"Holy freaking shit..."Darcy mumbled, ogling the white, curvy mansion as their helicopter did a wide arc around the property before landing on the backyard helipad.

"Isn't this supposed to be a wildlife preservation area?" Jane asked as Stark helped her disembark with a firm grip on her hand.

"Technically, yes, but I give you my word, no animals were harmed during the construction of my home," Stark replied jovially, assisting Darcy down as well. "Feeling better?" Blushing with embarrassment, Darcy simply nodded. "If it's any consolation, I can't resist the free drinks either," he added, making her giggle.

Inside the Stark residence, Jane and Darcy continued to stare at their surroundings in astonishment. From the open concept, spacious living room, they were able to see a good general overview of the house's layout.

"Welcome to my home," Stark said, stretching out his arms, smiling proudly when both young women swiveled their heads, slowly spinning where they stood as they marveled at his incredible living space. The architectural and interior design with its rounded, flowing lines and shapes complemented as well as reflected the magnificent view of the natural landscape and of the ocean around them.

"This place is amazing," Jane complimented, unable to help herself. "It feels so...peaceful."

"That's coz I got a Feng Shui master and a Native American shaman to mojo this place up," Stark said with a grin. "We all need a special space to unwind, and for me, downstairs is where that happens."

"Downstairs?" Jane asked, catching the implication as well as a mischievous smile and twinkle in Stark's eyes.

Clearing his throat, he said, "I don't normally let people see my basement workshop but since you're both from the scientific community, I'll make a special exception...and I'll totally appreciate it if you two keep whatever you see strictly to yourselves."

Darcy's mouth hung open as she shared Jane's look of energized anticipation.

This was _big!_ Both women realized the absolute privilege of what they were given the permission to see. No journalist had ever set foot inside the celebrated inventor's fabled 'underground laboratory' and the only information that existed on the topic were the wild ramblings of imaginative speculators on gossip forums.

They clung to each other as Stark led them down a winding stone staircase from the main living room beside a tall, abstract stone sculpture set in the middle of a circle filled with smooth, rounded stones. Behind it, water continuously cascaded down the side of a concave glass wall.

"No peeking," Stark teased as he punched his personal code on a digital panel that seemed to magically appear on the thick glass wall beside the door of the basement's entranceway.

"It's like Star Trek," Darcy whispered, staring in suspense at the darkness of the unlit basement.

"Ladies first," Stark said, gesturing for them to enter. "Jarvis, full illumination," he added, after they'd passed the threshold.

When they walked a few paces inside, both Jane and Darcy stopped abruptly, rooted to the basement's stone floor as their combined looks of absolute astonishment and disbelief made Stark grin with pride.

It was an impressively enormous rectangular basement that could easily be configured into any number of smaller modular workspaces. In Darcy and Jane's immediate area was a sort of office and corner den. Directly in front of them, the office's main desk was overrun by several different sized monitors and faced a colorfully lit jukebox, while a smaller desk's surface beside it was occupied entirely by some kind of bluish marker board. The corner den to their right had a kitchenette, a convenience store style beverage fridge, a modern comfy black couch, two matching end chairs and a wall-mounted LCD screen. Looking slightly to their left spanned the basement's slanted, polished, beige stone wall (cliffside) with a strip of angled square windows cutting across it, large pot lights casting bright spots of incandescence above the quarter shaded frames. Below the strip of windows were four exotic sports cars and two fully customized motorcycles, all parked against the slanted wall at 45 degree angles to better showcase the vehicles, as they faced the garage's curved exit ramp lit from below like a Star Wars launch tube. Further left was an open workshop littered with workbenches, metal tool cabinets, robotic arms, car parts, a half-built flame-painted roadster, and numerous other pieces of industrial mechanical equipment. In the middle of the basement garage was a large, black, gridded mat and directly above them, running along the lower ceiling of the mechanical workshop was a row of bright, florescent lights.

"Am I to assume that these women have limited access to this area for the duration of their stay here?" a disembodied male voice with a cultured English accent spoke suddenly. Both Darcy and Jane squeaked in surprise.

"Jarvis, couldn't you have kept quiet until I introduced you?" Stark said, somewhat irritated.

"I could have but I chose not to," the disembodied voice answered back. Stark mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that," the disembodied voice said testily.

"Who...where's..." Darcy said, looking around frantically along with Jane. Was the place haunted?

"Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, meet my Artificially Intelligent supercomputer, Jarvis," Stark said, walking over to his main desk and spreading his arms out, gesturing to his set-up of monitors.

"Mister Stark, there's no need to be harsh," Jarvis admonished as Stark cleared his throat. "Miss Foster, Miss Lewis, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintances."

"Artificial Intelligence...wait, you _built_ him?" Jane said in awe.

"Jarvis is more of a joint project. My dad started the original programming and I've been modifying it ever since. These days, Jarvis's been kind of doing his own tweaks and it's starting to piss me off," Stark replied with a pseudo-friendly smile.

"Holy shit, Jane, this is totally _beyond_ awesome," Darcy said giddily in full-on nerd mode. "It's like Captain Picard on the bridge of the Enterprise."

"It's sorta similar, yeah," Stark laughed. "Go ahead, girls, ask him something."

The two women looked at each other with uncertainty for a moment. Noticing the unmistakable gleam of excitement in her friend's eyes, Jane nudged Darcy to go first.

"Um, hey, Jarvis...uh...how's it going?"

"I'm doing well, Miss Lewis, and you?"

"Great. Better than great," Darcy replied with a grin. "Um...where exactly are you?" She couldn't find a large mainframe console visible anywhere.

"For the sake of security, I must politely decline to answer that question, Miss Lewis, but since you're curious, what I can say is that I inhabit this entire structure," Jarvis replied.

 _Wicked cool._ "So, who's voice does he have anyway?" Darcy asked, looking toward Stark.

"No idea. My dad wanted him to be unique so he generated Jarvis from a list of voice samples," Stark explained. "He wanted someone pleasant, courteous and intelligent."

"Like an English butler," Darcy piped in. Stark laughed in agreement.

"However, unlike an English butler, Miss Lewis, I can't serve anyone tea. No physical appendages," Jarvis commented.

Jane shook her head in amazement. "He even cracks jokes."

"He's getting better at it," Stark replied, looking appreciatively at Jane.

"Mister Stark, why did you invite me here?" Jane said, getting straight to the point.

"Please, Jane, just call me Tony. Mister Stark belongs to my dad."

"Jarvis calls you, Mister Stark."

"He's programmed to. He can't address me any other way. My dad wanted some formality built into Jarvis permanently."

"Fine. Tony," Jane said. "Why am I here? Obviously, it's something very important or you would've just called me on the phone or Skyped me."

"You're right," Tony said, rocking back in his 'Captain's chair' at Jarvis's mainframe office set-up. "Jane, I wanted to see you in person because I heard that you and your colleagues made first contact with beings from another universe."

"How...how did you..." Jane said in distress, backing away slightly. Darcy was just as appalled.

"Hear me out," Stark said, leaning forward and raising his hands in a placating manner. "I'm just curious and I wanted to hear the story straight from the source."

"Who told you about what happened to us in New Mexico?" Jane asked firmly.

"That would be my associate Natalie Rushman. She works for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I knew it!" Jane exclaimed in a huff. Images of Agent Coulson's smiling face zipped into her mind and she imagined Thor wringing the man's neck. "Those bastards are everywhere!"

Stark wheeled back in his chair slightly when he saw how angry Jane was.

"Stupid M.I.B.s barged in on us when we recorded the disturbances and took everything we had. They even took my iPod! Totally cleaned our place out," Darcy explained. "We thought we'd never get any of our stuff back."

"That's really rude of them," Stark remarked in agreement.

"No shit," Jane replied irately. "All the instrumentation they took from me was one of a kind. Built them all myself. If I'd lost any of it..." Jane took a deep breath to calm herself. _If it wasn't for Thor..._ "What's your involvement with them?"

"I'm sorry that your run-in with S.H.I.E.L.D. was a bad one," Stark said. "As for me, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s the only thing stopping stupid government big wigs from taking away my Iron Man suit." Jane went silent and appeared deep in thought. Darcy fidgeted beside her. "Come on, how about the three of us go over to the couch where we'll be more comfortable."

He stood and ushered the two young women over to the basement's corner den. Walking over to the clear glass door of the beverage fridge, he gripped the handle lightly. "You ladies want anything to drink?" He stood aside so they could look at its contents.

"I'll have an ice tea please," Darcy said, plopping herself onto the couch.

"Just water, thank you," Jane replied and took a seat beside her.

Stark handed them each a drink, uncapping his bottle of Asahi beer and sat down on one of the end chairs. He watched as they each took a sip, waiting patiently for Jane to initiate the conversation. "Jarvis, dim the lights. Leave the den at fifty percent."

After a while Jane said, "What exactly do you wanna know?" She looked straight at Stark trying to figure out his motives.

"Tell me everything," Stark said as he leaned forward, elbows perched on his knees, his hands clasping together with a boyish eagerness plain on his face.

Sensing no deception from him except obvious curiosity, Jane relented and began her story. As she spoke, Stark was riveted, not saying a work and never leaving her gaze once. It was a bit unnerving but Jane ignored it and continued speaking. She smiled when Darcy, every so often, included her perspective on certain events, her body temperature rising whenever there was any mention of Thor. After some time, she neared the end of her tale.

"...then whatever was left of the Destroyer fell from the sky. When the weird super-tornado cleared, out walked Thor, completely transformed, wearing this incredible looking armor with a flowing red cape behind him," Jane said and paused. "Then he argued with Agent Coulson about getting my equipment back, which they returned, thank goodness. Then, uh..."

"Then Thor grabs Jane like Tarzan and they both fly up into the sky," Darcy finished proudly. "I think it's that hammer thingy of his that gives Thor the power of flight. What's it's called again? I think it sounds like meow-meer."

"Mjollnir," Stark corrected with a grin, his eyes wide with delight. "I kinda brushed up on my Norse Mythology soon as I heard."

"That's pretty much it," Jane said, yawning. "Thor and his merry band of warriors returned to Asgard via the Bifrost and I haven't heard from them since." She stared off into the distance toward the far end of Stark's basement. "I just hope he's all right."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Stark asked.

"After Thor and his posse disappeared into the sky, we waited to see if they'd come back," Darcy said, glancing at Jane who was still staring off into space. "Then the sky got all dark and scary, like maybe something bad was happening on the other side. Unless they send us some kind of magical homing pigeon or an intergalactic telegram, we have no idea what went down." She shrugged and yawned. Jane began absently biting at her nails.

Leaning back into his chair, Stark realized that there was more to the story than Jane was willing to tell. Rubbing his eyes, he cracked his neck and stood up.

"Okay, we should all get some sleep. I'm sure you're both exhausted."

The two women stood up slowly and filed out of Stark's basement. As they trudged up the winding stone staircase in the dim light, Jane saw a glowing pattern underneath their host's Henley shirt, located in the middle of his chest.

"Yeah, this thing's impossible to hide in the dark," Stark muttered when he saw both women staring at him.

In the mansion's living room, Stark stopped, his back toward them. After scratching his head, he squared his shoulders as if reaching some kind of important decision and turned around.

"This," Stark said, tapping the glowing bluish icon on his chest. "This thing's a miniature arc reactor. It's what powers my Iron Man suit and the one thing that's keeping me alive. Cliff notes version, when I was kidnapped there was an explosion and I got hit in the chest. I've got shrapnel in my bloodstream and this thing acts like a magnet, drawing the stuff away from my heart so I don't die from massive internal hemorrhaging." Both women were speechless. "Also, I owe S.H.I.E.L.D. more than just my Iron Man suit. They helped me perfect the arc reactor technology by giving me my father's research notes. The first one I made out of palladium nearly poisoned me to death."

"Why...why are you telling us all this?" Jane ventured.

"Because, like it or not, we've all gone through profoundly unique and unimaginable experiences that, for better or worse, has changed the course of our lives...forever," Stark replied, staring at Jane sincerely. "There's no going back."

 _That's exactly how I feel,_ Jane said to herself, her gaze locked on Stark.

Darcy's eyes shifted between them like she was watching a tennis match, her brows crunching together as she made mental notes of their expressions.

Breaking eye contact, Stark cleared his throat and smiled. "Anyway, we should really call it a night. Pepper'll kill me if I sleep in too late. Let me show you both to your rooms."

  


### to be continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Included from Norse Mythology:** (so far)
> 
> Sigyn
> 
> Frey
> 
> Freya
> 
> Njord
> 
> Uh-oh. Ever the playboy Stark's got his sights set on Jane. Heh, heh. Will she indulge Tony or remain chaste for Thor?
> 
> Much of the Norse 'filler' lore I credit to: Triple w dot northernshamanism dot org.
> 
> Stark's cars in his garage (at least from Iron Man movie 1): a 1932 Ford Flathead roadster, a 1967 Shelby Cobra, a Saleen S7, a 2008 Audi R8, and a prototype Tesla Roadster.
> 
> The song Loki heard that lulled him to sleep was Beethoven's Sonata No. 8, Op. 13 in C minor. (2nd Movement) Piano concerto easily searchable on youtube.
> 
> I think it's fortunate for Loki that Alvi and Mars decided to take him under their fabulous wings. (Besides, I didn't want Loki living underground in Bryn's tiny basement apartment) ROFL.
> 
> I'm sure some of you are wondering...what the hell is Sigyn doing here when Loki's 'supposed to fall in love' with my OC?
> 
> *laughs maniacally*
> 
> Honestly? I have no freaking idea. She seemed to just pop into the story seamlessly as I was writing this chapter. Hmm. Intriguing.
> 
> Let Chaos Reign.
> 
> Here's a bit of silliness for you guys to chew on:
> 
>  **Asgard (the band)** (ROFL! xD)
> 
> Thor_drums
> 
> Loki_vocals
> 
> Sif_synth/vocals
> 
> Fandral_lead guitar/vocals
> 
> Hogun_rhythm guitar
> 
> Volstagg_base guitar
> 
> Also, I'd really like to hear from you guys. Let me know if this story is in any way remotely interesting.
> 
> (=^_^=)


End file.
